Suspect identified after beating a Mid-Missouri homeowner

Investigators confirmed on Tuesday a suspect was arrested, accused of beating and leaving a good Samaritan in a water-filled ditch near Boonville on Christmas Eve.

44-year-old Joey Lee Allen of Scottsdale, AZ, was charged with 1st degree assault, 1st degree robbery, and stealing.

Around 11:30 Monday night, officials learned Allen might be found in Versailles, Mo., about 30 minutes north of Sunrise Beach near the Lake of the Ozarks. They discovered Allen hiding inside a home and took him into custody with the help of the Morgan County Sheriff’s office and Versailles police.

The Cooper County Sheriff’s department claims Allen knocked on the door of a home south of Boonville on Highway 5 around midnight Christmas Eve, telling the owner he ran out of gas.

The man took him to get gas in his own truck. Before they got to Boonville, Allen assaulted the homeowner and left him on the roadside.

He also took the homeowner’s truck, but it was found shortly afterwards in the same area. The victim was taken to a hospital in Columbia for his injuries but is now recovering at home.

Allen’s bond was set at $200,000 cash-only. He was arraigned in Cooper County circuit court Tuesday afternoon.