Officer injured after interrupting theft

NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- A Butler County sheriff's deputy patrolling in Neelyville interrupted a would-be fuel thief, who allegedly resisted arrest, injuring both himself and the deputy.

Cpl. Brandon Lowe was on patrol when he saw a passenger car sitting on the parking lot of the closed JB's Store, at the intersection of Highway 67 and Highway 142, and two subjects standing next to the fuel pumps, explained Lt. Brian Evans.

"After making contact with the subjects, a male [Terrance Redford Malkowski] and a female, another vehicle pulled in behind Cpl. Lowe's patrol car, and the subject got out and told him that [the two individuals were] the subjects that were stealing gas," Evans said.

The witness, who lived in the area, apparently had driven by the station and had become suspicious of what was going on, Evans said.

"While [Lowe] was talking to the subjects on the scene, Mr. Malkowski bowed up on him, took an aggressive stance toward him," Evans said. "At that time, Cpl. Lowe was going to put him in hand restraints to detain him, and they ended up in a scuffle."

Evans said Lowe was "taken to the ground' and his arm injured.

With assistance from Investigator Wes Popp, Evans said, the officers were able to handcuff Malkowski and placed him in Lowe's patrol car.

Malkowski "resisted and struggled the entire time," Evans said.

After Malkowski was placed in the patrol car, Evans said, Lowe and Popp resumed talking with the other subjects.

At that point, Malkowski allegedly busted a back passenger window out of Lowe's patrol car by kicking it.

"The glass, when it was scattered, caused injury to both the suspect and Cpl. Lowe," Evans said. "They both had lacerations."

Emergency medical services personnel, Evans said, responded and checked out both Lowe and Malkowski.

Lowe, Evans said, subsequently went to the emergency room at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Lowe's arm was "too swollen to X-ray last night, [so] at this point, they are calling [his injury] a sprain," said Evans, who expects Lowe to miss two days of work.

Evans said Malkowski was treated on the scene and subsequently transported to the Butler County Jail.

The 20-year-old Fairdealing, Mo., man is being held on suspicion of second-degree assault on a law enforcement officer while intoxicated, minor in possession [by consumption], first-degree property damage, stealing and felony resisting arrest. He also was wanted on a warrant for probation violation.

Officers, Evans said, found several gasoline cans and suspected siphoning tools in the trunk of Malkowski's car.

"He admitted to stealing gas from the bus garage in Neelyville and a gas station in Poplar Bluff," Evans said.

Malkowski, Evans said, allegedly previously had stolen gasoline from JB's, and was "attempting to" Wednesday night.

Evans said the woman with Malkowski was interviewed and released.