A 61-year-old Tarkio man is facing a mandatory prison term if convicted after deputies say they found a pickup truck riddled with bullet holes and shell casings in an alley following a shots-fired call in the small northwestern Missouri town. Ricky Farber now faces armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a controlled substance and possession of methamphetamine drug paraphernalia, while a 68-year-old Omaha, Nebraska woman found with him, Kathryn Johnson, faces her own set of drug-related charges.
According to KQ2, the Atchison County Sheriff's Office and Tarkio Police Department were dispatched to a shots-fired call in the south alley of the 500 block of Vine Street in Tarkio. Investigators located a pickup truck with multiple bullet holes along with shell casings in the alley, the station reports. Farber and Johnson were found in the 400 block of Broad Street and were taken into custody without further incident.
A Small Town With Two Blocks Between Gunfire And Arrest
Farber and Johnson were found in the 400 block of Broad Street, from the alley where evidence of gunfire was discovered. Tarkio was the site of the shots-fired call and arrests, which prompted a law-enforcement response in the community.
The Atchison County Sheriff's Office reported the arrests and charges in a news release, per the same account relayed by the station. It remains unclear from available records who owned the damaged pickup truck, whether anyone was inside or targeted during the shooting, or exactly what evidence tied Farber to discharging the firearm — open questions that court filings may eventually address.
Bond Amounts Reflect Differing Charges
Farber was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of methamphetamine drug paraphernalia, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. He is being held on a $25,000 bond and made his initial appearance in Atchison County court, with a bond review hearing scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 8. Johnson, charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of methamphetamine drug paraphernalia, is held on a $7,500 bond and has no initial appearance currently scheduled.
Farber and Johnson have different bond amounts and different charges. Under Missouri Revised Statutes § 571.015, a first conviction for armed criminal action carries imprisonment of three to 15 years and restrictions on parole, probation, conditional release and suspended sentences for three calendar years, according to Missouri's revised statutes. That charge applies when a deadly weapon is used to aid the commission of any underlying felony in the state.
What The Underlying Charges Carry
Separately, Missouri law treats simple possession of methamphetamine as a Class D felony regardless of quantity, punishable by up to seven years in prison under § 579.015. Unlawful use of a weapon, covered under § 571.030, includes discharging a firearm at or into a motor vehicle or possessing a lethal weapon alongside controlled substances, and can carry up to seven years in prison depending on the specific subsection charged, per the same statute. The case description does not establish a general concealed-carry rule or how such a rule would affect these charges.
Both defendants' cases will continue in Atchison County court. The account does not identify the judicial circuit, presiding judge or any appointment history. Court filings ahead of Farber's Sept. 8 bond review hearing may show whether prosecutors add further charges, such as property destruction or drug distribution, though nothing beyond the current charges has been confirmed.
County Sheriff Took Office In 2024
The Atchison County Sheriff's Office and Tarkio police were dispatched to the shots-fired call. The case will continue in Atchison County.
