JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. — A man who was charged in connection with a machete assault in Jefferson County was arrested inside an abandoned building Thursday.
Ted Treece was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action in connection with the Tuesday afternoon incident before he was arrested Thursday night.
At around 6:45 Thursday night, deputies responded to the 10000 block of East Brook Road off Highway WW in Dittmer, Missouri, after a neighbor reported an open window at a vacant house. When deputies entered the house, they found Treece sleeping on the couch. He was taken into custody without incident.
They were able to confirm his identity by using a mobile fingerprint scan.
Grant Bissell, a spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's department, said witnesses saw Treece enter a convenience store with a ski mask on and a machete in his hand at around 3:30 Tuesday afternoon. Charging documents said Treece began arguing with someone in the store and threatening the victim with the machete. He then hit the victim in the face with the machete, causing a small cut on the victim's cheek. The victim then used a glass bottle to defend himself, and Treece ran off.
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Deputies said while trying to get away from the scene, Treece's vehicle sideswiped a school bus carrying 34 children and the bus driver. No one on the bus was injured.
They searched for him Tuesday night in a wooded area near Heads Creek Road in House Springs. He was captured about 25 miles away, in Dittmer.