Charges dismissed against suspect in Sikeston 'kidnapping' case

BENTON, Mo. -- The state dismissed charges Thursday against a Sikeston, Mo., man accused in a case that began with kidnapping allegations but seemed to fall apart under court scrutiny.

Cody McRoy, 20, had been charged with second-degree assault and felonious restraint in connection with a case in which another Sikeston man claimed he had been abducted from his front porch, held against his will and beaten for several hours in an attempt to extort money.

McRoy is the second suspect to have all charges dismissed in the case.

Andrew Robinett, Bryce Western and Ashley Ivie, all of Sikeston, initially faced felony charges of assault, kidnapping and felonious restraint after Michael Fisher told investigators they kidnapped him at gunpoint, took him to Ivie's house and beat him for several hours.

At an Aug. 21 preliminary hearing, Judge Scott Horman dismissed all the charges against Ivie and all but the assault charges against Robinett and Western.

In January, prosecutors reduced the assault charge against Western to a misdemeanor. He pleaded guilty and was placed on two years of unsupervised probation.

McRoy waived his right to a preliminary hearing in the case.

Fisher did not mention McRoy in his initial statement to investigators.

At the preliminary hearing for Robinett, Western and Ivie, Fisher said he omitted McRoy from his statement because he believed McRoy was an unwilling participant.

"I felt like he felt threatened, that if he didn't do something to me, he would get hurt," Fisher said.

During the preliminary hearing, Fisher gave a convoluted testimony that Horman said contained "holes."

Under questioning by then-assistant prosecuting attorney Austin Crowe, Fisher said Robinett and Ivie approached him as he was smoking a cigarette on his front porch, where he said Robinett held a camouflage gun to his head while Ivie went to get a car Fisher described as a turquoise Impala or Malibu.

During cross-examination by Ivie's attorney, Curtis Poore, Fisher said he did not see Robinett and Ivie because they came up behind him as he was standing on the porch in total darkness.

Fisher also was unable to explain how Ivie and Robinett would have known he was outside.

Online court records show that in late January, Robinett entered a plea of guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge.

A hearing on that plea is scheduled for today.

epriddy@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

Sikeston, MO