U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk has sentenced Stephen J. Thorp, a 62-year-old man from Moberly, Missouri, to 10 years in prison following a standoff with law enforcement that lasted 19 hours. The incident took place when members of the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force attempted to arrest Thorp on a warrant issued by the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole due to new charges of resisting arrest in Callaway County.
Thorp was previously on parole after being convicted of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in Marion County Circuit Court. On April 11, 2022, authorities located Thorp at a residence in Randolph County near Moberly. Despite loudspeaker announcements urging him to exit the premises, Thorp remained inside. Attempts to remove him using a robot and a K-9 were unsuccessful.
The situation escalated when the Moberly SWAT team deployed a drone into the home after obtaining a search warrant. Evidence showed that Thorp fired three shots while the drone was inside and disabled it with his firearm. He eventually surrendered after the Missouri State Highway Patrol SWAT team used a chemical agent.
In July, jurors found Thorp guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors highlighted previous incidents involving Thorp, including an altercation with his mother in 2018 and leading police on a high-speed chase in 2021.
The arrest involved multiple agencies including the U.S. Marshals Service, Moberly Police Department, Randolph County Sheriff’s Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, and Linn County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Finlen and Paul Rebar prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The Department's strategy launched on May 26, 2021, focuses on fostering trust within communities, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.