LINN  — “I’m done,” Zachary J. Wheeler, 36, of Washington, told Gasconade County Sheriff Scott Eiler when cornered at Capital Quarries on Hwy. 50 near Linn after more than 24 hours on the run. Eiler took him into custody at about 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

“He was tired, hungry, and thirsty,” said Osage County Sheriff Mike Bonham. “Mr. Wheeler wreaked havoc for more than a day, but, fortunately, no one was injured during his escape attempt. This could have turned out really bad.”

Wheeler has been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, resisting/interfering with arrest for a felony, first-degree property damage, leaving the scene of an accident (property damage exceeding $1,000), and operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner involving an accident.

The incident began on Tuesday afternoon when Franklin County deputies recognized Wheeler and knew he had outstanding warrants for failure to appear in Warren County. The deputy who stopped Wheeler saw two handguns and drew his weapon.

That’s when Wheeler fled in a gray 2000 Chevrolet Suburban with an attached trailer, reaching speeds of 109 MPH through Gasconade County, headed for Osage County. Deputies reported that Wheeler, at times, crossed over into the opposite lane of traffic.

“We were aware of the chase and prepared for the possibility Mr. Wheeler would enter the county,” said Bonham. “I told everyone that we were not going to let him get past Route CC. At that time of day, there was a lot of traffic, and I didn’t want to endanger the public by having him run loose at high speed through town.”

Just before 6 p.m., Linn R-2 Superintendent Bob James sent a text message to patrons noting the campus was on lockdown due to an incident close to the campus — on the first day of school. Student-athletes at practice were moved to the locker rooms in the fieldhouse, where they awaited news. Parents were understandably concerned and unaware of the events unfolding just down the road.

“We looked at his criminal history and saw multiple charges for drug possession, and there was also an unlawful use of a weapon charge, so we had our concerns about his intentions,” said Bonham.

Wheeler’s criminal history includes convictions for motor-vehicle tampering (2007), possession of a controlled substance (2007 and 2009), distribution of a controlled substance (2015), and leaving the scene of an accident (2018).

Bonham praised James for his efforts to keep students safe.

“I think he’s doing a phenomenal job,” the sheriff said. “Bob’s a tremendous partner. He communicates well with us and asks for support on different things, which we are happy to provide. I can’t speak highly enough of him.”

Deputy Andrew Koon set up and successfully deployed spike sticks at the Hwy. 89 Spur, which shredded at least one of Wheeler’s front tires. He lost control and left the roadway at the Voss Trailer Court.

Wheeler destroyed a sign, which owner Eugene Voss said cost $1,500. The defendant then traveled between two trailers, hitting an electrical conduit on the utility pole leading to a rental property.

From there, Wheeler went through brush and down an embankment, traveling down a gully until he crashed the Suburban.

Wheeler and two female passengers exited the SUV and fled into the nearby woods south of the trailer park.

“At this point, law enforcement was closing in, and we located the females and took them into custody relatively quickly,” said Bonham. “We were there immediately. We knew where they started, so officers pursued into the woods.”

Deputies arrested Ashley N. Lund, 39, and Tavia A. Krueger, 36, both of Villa Ridge, who were charged with resisting arrest. Detention staff found a syringe in Lund’s purse that tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine, but she was not charged with that.

The defendants were arraigned and entered a plea of not guilty. Both were released on their own recognizance with the stipulation they sign up for “Track This Case” through Case.net within 24 hours of release. Judge Sonya Brandt ordered the defendants to have no alcohol or drugs and to obtain/maintain employment. The case is scheduled for plea/trial setting on Sept. 10 at 10 a.m.

Because the Franklin County deputy saw handguns, law enforcement treated Wheeler as armed and dangerous and tailored the response to fit the scenario. Two rifles were later found in the back of the Suburban.

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office was joined by the Linn Police Department, which brought its K-9 unit. Gasconade County also deployed a K-9, picking up where Linn’s dog left off after the animal was relieved due to fatigue.

In hindsight, Bonham understands how much difficulty the dogs had.

“Most dogs used by police are trained exclusively to detect drugs,” he said. “They’re not trained to track humans, be it for apprehension or search purposes. There was manpower placed into that situation, but it messed up the dogs.”

Early in the search, Gasconade County’s K-9, Xena, and her handler, Joe Lynch, stumbled over a yellow jacket nest and were stung multiple times. Osage Ambulance District was dispatched to treat the animal. Paramedics treated Xena, Lynch, and two other deputies to ease symptoms, and the dog was released from the search.

Deputies from Maries and Cole counties also deployed dogs, which tracked Wheeler to Linn First, just west of the crash site.

“At that point, we were still concerned that Mr. Wheeler might continue west, and he was in close proximity to the school,” said Bonham. “The dogs lost him there, but we continued to search.”

Chief drone pilot Cpl. Dennis Sutton and Capt. Travis Shaffer kept the video surveillance going, but it was impossible to penetrate the canopy of trees.

“That was a very dense area,” said Bonham. “Even using heat-sensing options couldn’t define the area as well as we would have liked.”

Due to the loss of scent, Bonham believed that Wheeler had caught a ride at the church at the time. However, that proved to be an incorrect assessment, and the sheriff continued to search the area.

Linn R-2 athletes were released to their parents at about 7:30, and the school was cleared of all staff and students by 8 p.m. James later notified patrons that he was working with authorities to determine the best way to proceed. He later decided, after consulting with Bonham on Wednesday, to cancel classes but later approved extracurricular activities.

Bonham said his department caught a break on Wednesday morning during a conference call with Franklin County deputies.

“There was a ton of information we didn’t know because they deal with him and we don’t,” he said. “It would be like a suspect here that we deal with all the time; we would have pertinent information, just like they did. We got the whole family history, and there’s tragedy in his history. All of that played into the mental portion of this search, and as we went forward, we asked what he was likely to do. According to the  Franklin County detectives, and I didn’t disagree, he was most likely going to look for a car to steal because he has done that in the past. So, we asked 911 to publish an alert telling everyone to be cautious and not leave their keys in the vehicle.”

Wheeler began to make his way east on Hwy. 50, keeping to the edge of the woods so he could step into concealment if necessary. “He didn’t want to go where the population was because he was afraid that we would be in that area,” said Bonham. “So, he was moving back on the edge so he could step into the forest area, so on, etc., and he made his way back that way through the day.”

Bonham said the department began receiving tips from the public about a person matching Wheeler’s description. However, the clothing description had changed from what deputies observed in the original pursuit — a black t-shirt and jeans — which Wheeler apparently ditched.

“He was wearing clothes underneath what he was originally seen wearing,” said Bonham. “He got back to the Spur and made his way to the woods near Ridgeway Trail. He ratcheted it up by knocking on people’s doors, probably wanting water and food. I figured he was eaten up by chiggers and all the other nasty bugs out there.”

Due to the contamination caused by having too many people in the area to be searched by dogs, Bonham waited for the Missouri Department of Corrections search team to arrive with their bloodhounds.

“We didn’t allow people to go into the area,” said Bonham, noting a six-man team arrived with two bloodhounds. “They made the first track but lost it. We redeployed them to a second area where people said he went in, and it was a fruitful track. One thing about bloodhounds is they don’t need a specific item to pick up a scent. They’re trained to detect human scent, which is why we didn’t complicate their search by having a bunch of deputies out there.”

It was literally a “hounds to the hunters” scenario as the pressure forced Wheeler to move out. Bonham said he walked up Hwy. 89 and was spotted almost immediately after stepping out of the woods.

Josh Miller volunteered to use his personal drone in the search, which was a welcome addition.

“Callaway County showed up with a big drone, we had our drones up, and Josh was flying his,” said Bonham. “Josh has a much smaller, less detectable drone, and he did it on his own. It’s unique for our citizens to jump in, and that’s the county that we live in. The majority of Osage County citizens care about the community and want to do something to help in times of need. Kudos to Josh for his help and for being the first to spot Mr. Wheeler.”

Wheeler reached Hwy. 50 and continued east, but his location was relayed to everyone and Sheriff Eiler was closest at the Hwy. 50/Hwy. 89 Spur junction.

“He swoops in, takes him down at gunpoint, and (Wheeler’s) words to Scotty (Eiler) were, ‘I’m done,’” Bonham said. “It appeared to drone operators there was a struggle, but there wasn’t. Wheeler gave up right away, and it ended peacefully.”

Deputies transported Wheeler to the Osage County Detention Center, where EMS checked him out.

Bonham noted that Wheeler admitted to having used meth Tuesday afternoon before the pursuit.

“We know that meth users are very paranoid,” he added. “Mr. Wheeler was paranoid, so he didn’t want to meet any people because everybody was a cop, and any twig snapping was a cop behind him. Looking into the psychological side of this, we knew he was more than likely on drugs because that’s his pattern. By Wednesday afternoon, he’s 24 hours into his high, and he’s starting to come down. He’s getting eaten alive by bugs; he’s hungry and thirsty. Water became a big deal, and as he continued to evade capture, I’m sure Mr. Wheeler became very uncomfortable. The pain levels were ramping up, and he was all alone. I’m not at all surprised that he gave up at the end.”

At 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Superintendent James decided to open school on Thursday. In a text to patrons, he wrote, “As always, please make the best decision for you and your family regarding attendance. “He also said the district would continue to collaborate with law enforcement to ensure everyone’s safety. He also encouraged parents to supervise their children at bus stops or while dropping them off at school.

Wheeler was captured 90 minutes later.

At Thursday’s Linn R-2 board meeting, board member Brett Phillips asked James to explain his reasoning for opening the school before knowing the suspect was in custody.

“I stayed in contact with either Capt. Schaefer or Sheriff Bonham pretty much continuously for those two days,” James replied. “Sheriff Bonham went through the status of the person of interest at that time, and I went with his advice and guidance. At that point, the information he relayed to me indicated there was a lesser threat at that time in our specific area than there was overnight. So, part of the reason that definitely weighed on my mind for suspending school (on Wednesday) was they weren’t quite sure of his last known whereabouts, which updated around lunch hour. I was really concerned with students standing at bus stops in low-light conditions, probably alone, and we weren’t sure enough at that time where he might be going. I just wanted to err on the side of safety and not have unattended kids in the morning. We felt that in full daylight, with where they felt he was moving, put us in a better position.”

By Wednesday afternoon, James said, Bonham believed Wheeler had gone east. “He felt the danger had dropped low enough to feel confident I was making a good decision,” the superintendent added.

Athletic Director Chris Minnix posted an online letter indicating that sports practices would resume Wednesday afternoon, advising parents to decide whether their child participated.

In addition to Missouri Highway Patrol’s units dispatched to the scene, a Highway Patrol SWAT team returning to Troop F following training at Troop I in Rolla overheard the call and chose to self-dispatch to the scene.

“We didn’t ask for them,” said Bonham. “They just showed up Tuesday evening to help, and we appreciate it.”

Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force members and Missouri Department Conservation Agent Katie Stoner also took part in the search.

Department Chaplain Mike Brown, who also works the front desk at the Osage County Detention Center, volunteered on his personal time to assist with moving equipment and providing an extra set of eyes to watch for Wheeler.

“We are grateful for the public’s help and the dedication of fellow law enforcement agencies,” said Bonham. “Everyone involved did a great job with the common goal of protecting the public. We appreciate everyone’s efforts.”

According to court documents, Wheeler is being held without bond. No date has been set for his next appearance before Judge Brandt.