A Nebraska teenager has been formally charged with several felonies and a six-figure bond after an armed carjacking incident last month in Lafayette County.
A probable-cause statement says Higginsville Police officers responded to a report of a vehicle theft involving a weapon at Pilot Travel Center at about 7 a.m. on Tuesday, March 26. The victim stated an unknown male subject approached her vehicle, pointed a handgun at her and told her to get out of the vehicle. The victim added the male subject also took her purse and cell phone, and then drove off heading east on I-70.
Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers eventually arrested the male subject after he crashed the stolen vehicle during a pursuit where authorities had to deploy spike strips. The subject was identified as 15-year-old Willie Smalls, who also was wanted for stealing a vehicle earlier in the day. The vehicle reportedly stolen from Omaha was recovered on I-70, just east of the Highway 13 exit. Also, Smalls reportedly was in possession of three firearms which were actually BB guns, but each had the appearance of a higher-caliber weapon.
Online court documents say Smalls has been charged with a Class A Felony for First-Degree Robbery; a Class D Felony for Tampering with a Motor Vehicle in the First Degree; an Unclassified Felony for Armed Criminal Action; and a misdemeanor for stealing. Bond was set at $100,000 cash only.
His initial hearing is pending at Lafayette County Circuit Court.