A local man stepped out of his vehicle Saturday afternoon near Raymondville to contact a driver who had bumped his vehicle at a stop sign. He was met by a knife-yielding man with a history of violent behavior who authorities said allegedly attacked him.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Billy Joe Minshall, 37, of Houston, was arrested and charged with first-degree assault (serious physical injury) and armed criminal action following the incident. Both are felonies. He is held without bond at the Texas County Jail.
According to a probable cause statement, a local couple – who were not named – were driving their vehicle on Highway 137 around 3 p.m. when they stopped at a stop sign at Friendship Drive. The passenger, who was in the vehicle with a young child, told the patrol their vehicle was bumped from behind, and her husband exited to contact the driver. He was met by Minshall, who the victim said was holding what appeared to be a hunting knife and machete.
The patrol said the victim had multiple wounds to both hands and a wound to his torso. Paramedics at the scene told the patrol one of the victim’s fingers was nearly cut off.
Minshall, who was sitting on the grass alongside the roadway when authorities arrived, was allegedly incoherent and did not respond to questions. Another man, Bradley M. Culley, 30, of Mountain Grove, was arrested at the same time on a Wright County misdemeanor warrant charging him with passing bad checks.
In 2013, Minshall faced multiple charges from an encounter with the Texas County Sheriff’s Department. Authorities, who responded to a Cabool address after Minshall allegedly threatened several people, said he was carrying several knifes and spoke of explosives, tanks and snipers at the property. When given a command, he refused to comply and threw pliers at an officer as he was shot with a Taser. He was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action, possession of drug paraphernalia and second-degree trespassing. He later received a five-year prison sentence but was released by a circuit judge in December 2013.
On Sept. 2, Minshall was placed in the Texas County Jail on a 30-day hold for contempt of court.