Lake Ozark man still at large after allegedly biting the ear off another man
LAKE OZARK, Mo. (KMIZ)
Law enforcement agencies in Mid-Missouri continue to look for a man that allegedly disfigured a man's ear that caused permanent damage during an assault.
Ryan Pierce is charged with first-degree assault, first-degree burglary, and third-degree assault after he allegedly bit the ear off another person during an assault on Sunday.
Officials responded to a call that Pierce forced his way into a residence and hit a person on the head and bit his ear.
According to the probable cause statement, Pierce was asked to leave the residence by the victim and another person. Pierce then tried to force his way into the residence where kids were and proceeded to attack the victim.
The statement said that Pierce got onto the victim and bit his lower left ear completely off. The victim also had swollen eyes and had to be transferred to the Lake Regional Hospital immediately for care. The victim was then taken to Columbia Hospital to have his ear reconstructed.
One of the doctors from the ER emphasized the seriousness of the victim's injuries, and that the bite was centimeters away from his jugular vein, "which could have killed the [victim] in a matter of seconds." Pierce gouged the victim's eye so aggressively that it caused bruising to the eye. The victim will have a lifelong disfigurement to his ear due to the bite.
Officials said "Pierce is an extreme danger to the public, his children and wife. Fear of retaliation by Pierce if not captured may result in death to his family and or neighbors based on his actions he presented on today's date [Aug. 24]"
ABC 17 News crew went down to the neighborhood where the incident took place, neighbors told our crews that they have had to call law enforcement on that household before, and have seen police present at the residence in the past. Neighbors did decline to go on camera for interviews.
ABC 17 News reached out to both the Miller County Sheriff's department and the Lake Ozark police department but have yet to hear back from them.
