ST. LOUIS – A Moberly, Missouri, man appeared in federal court on Wednesday to plead guilty to a gun charge for a standoff involving local, county, state, and federal authorities in 2022.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Stephen J. Thorp, 62, caused a 19-hour standoff in Randolph County on April 11, 2022.
Prosecutors said U.S. Marshals went to arrest Thorp on a warrant from the state parole board. Thorp was on parole following a conviction for second-degree murder and armed criminal action out of Marion County. New charges of resisting arrest in Callaway County were what prompted the warrant.
The marshals learned Thorp was at another person’s home in Randolph County. They and members of the Northern Missouri Drug Task Force went to the residence.
Two people left the home and told authorities Thorp was inside. Thorp refused to surrender. A K-9 and law enforcement robot were unsuccessful in driving Thorp outside. The Moberly SWAT team deployed a drone inside the home.
Thorp fired three shots while the drone was in the home, then used the gun to disable the drone. The SWAT team eventually forced Thorp out of the residence with an unspecified chemical agent.
Thorpe pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a gun. A sentencing date was not announced.
