Scott County man pleads not guilty to assault, restraint

The last of four suspects named in what Scott County sheriff's deputies initially characterized as a kidnapping case pleaded not guilty Thursday.

Cody McRoy of Sikeston, Mo., waived arraignment and pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault and felonious restraint.

In July, Michael Fisher told officers he was abducted at gunpoint from the front porch of his Sikeston home and taken to another house, where McRoy and three other suspects beat him for several hours before taking him back home, according to a probable-cause affidavit filed in Scott County Circuit Court.

In his initial statement, Fisher identified Andrew Robinett, Bryce Western and a Sikeston woman as his attackers.

According to the affidavit, Fisher later told investigators he did not mention McRoy's involvement at first because he believed Robinett had coerced McRoy into participating in the physical assault.

"I felt like he felt threatened, that if he didn't do something to me, he would get hurt," Fisher said during an Aug. 21 preliminary hearing for the other three suspects.

During the hearing, Fisher gave a complicated, sometimes contradictory account of events, providing vague answers to some questions and appearing irritated by others.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Associate Circuit Judge Scott Horman dismissed the kidnapping and felonious restraint charges against Robinett and Western and threw out all the charges against the third defendant, Ashley Ivie.

Last month, McRoy waived a preliminary hearing on the charges against him.

Robinett and Western both waived arraignment and pleaded not guilty to assault Sept. 12 before Scott County Circuit Judge David Dolan.

Robinett is scheduled for a Jan. 10 jury trial, online court records show.

McRoy's next court appearance is set for Nov. 14.

epriddy@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

Sikeston, MO