Callaway County deputy back at work after 2024 shooting

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Callaway County deputy shot during an October 2024 traffic stop is back in the office.

The Callaway County Sheriff's Office wrote Monday in a social media post that Deputy Gardner Pottorff returned to the job. Pottorff was one of two deputies shot during the Oct. 14 stop. Cpl. Justin Bax was released after two days in the hospital that included surgery. He returned to duty in January.

A Texas man, Jonathan Beason, was killed during an exchange of gunfire, according to an Oct. 14 press release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Beason had multiple felony warrants, the sheriff’s office said.

The deputies were cleared of any wrongdoing in Beason's death in an ensuing highway patrol investigation.

Pottorff has had to endure "surgeries and extensive rehabilitation," the post says.

"Deputy Pottorff will continue rehabilitation while performing modified duties, and we look forward to the day when he is able to return to full duty," according to the post.