A broken passenger-side headlight during a rainstorm on Highway 69 turned into two felony charges for a Ridgeway man after a police dog alerted on his car and deputies found a stolen revolver inside a backpack in the back seat. Franklin Eugene Wright Jr. now faces a Class E felony for driving without a valid license and a Class D felony for receiving stolen property following the stop on Sunday, September 6, at roughly 7:19 p.m. in Harrison County.
According to KTTN, Harrison County Sheriff's Office Deputy John Winder initiated the stop after noticing the vehicle's headlight was not working during the storm. During the stop, K9 Nico displayed alert behavior near the passenger-side B-pillar, which Winder said gave deputies probable cause to search the vehicle. A female passenger in the car appeared to conceal something inside the vehicle, the outlet reported, and deputies subsequently found a backpack containing two handguns in the back seat.
Wright allegedly told Winder the backpack belonged to him. Deputies requested a serial-number check on the firearms through the Harrison County Communication Center, and one of the guns, a Heritage .22-caliber revolver, came back as reported stolen. The felony complaint alleges Wright knew the revolver had been stolen and retained it intending to deprive its owner of the property, per the same account.
A Third Strike on the License Charge
The driving charge escalated to a felony because of Wright's history: court records cited by the station show he was previously convicted of driving without a valid license in Harrison County Circuit Court on November 10, 2021, and again on August 10, 2022. Under Missouri Revised Statutes Section 302.020, operating a vehicle without a valid operator's license jumps from a misdemeanor to a Class E felony on a third or subsequent conviction, according to Missouri's revised statutes. A Class E felony conviction carries up to four years in state prison and a fine of as much as $10,000 under RSMo Section 558.011, per the Missouri statutes.
The receiving stolen property charge falls under a different statute. Missouri Revised Statutes Section 570.030 makes receiving stolen property a Class D felony when the property involved meets a specific value threshold or falls under categories such as firearms, according to Beerup Law. That charge carries a potential sentence of up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, also under RSMo Section 558.011.
K9 Nico's Role in the Search
K9 Nico, a German Shepherd, joined the Harrison County Sheriff's Office in December 2023 alongside Winder after the pair had previously worked together in Buchanan County, according to the Upshur County Sheriff's Office. Last year, Nico received a custom-fitted, bullet- and stab-protective vest through a donation from the nonprofit Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., as reported by the Bethany Republican-Clipper. Highway 69, where the stop occurred, runs through Bethany, the Harrison County seat, and functions as a key regional route parallel to Interstate 35 in the largely agricultural stretch of Northwest Missouri along the Iowa border.
Warrant, Bond and Strict Release Terms
An arrest warrant was issued for Wright, and Harrison County Sheriff's Office Deputy Dustin Robinson served it on Monday. The warrant set bond at $15,000 cash only. Wright is scheduled for an initial appearance Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. before Associate Circuit Judge J. Jay Hemenway, who has served on the bench in Missouri's 3rd Judicial Circuit since his election in 2010, according to the Missouri Secretary of State.
Hemenway imposed a lengthy list of release conditions. Wright must reside at a court-approved home under house arrest and may leave only with authorization from Cory Coleman of North Missouri Court Services, the private agency tasked with supervising his bond. Coleman owns and operates the Bethany-based firm. Wright must contact Coleman within 48 hours of release, provide written notice of any address change, and maintain at least two weeks of prepaid GPS monitoring, with the device required to be in place before he is released.
The release terms also bar Wright from possessing firearms or operating a motor vehicle, and prohibit any direct, indirect, or third-party contact with alleged victims or witnesses. He must stay at least 900 feet from alleged victims or their residences. Bond conditions further require Wright to sign a HIPAA release allowing Coleman to obtain records and communicate with his health care providers as needed for supervision, and he must provide biometric identifiers to generate an offense cycle number before release.
Mandated Substance Abuse Evaluation
As part of his release, Wright must undergo a substance abuse evaluation within 10 days of the court's order, conducted by Preferred Family Healthcare or a similarly certified counselor, and must follow any resulting treatment recommendations. Preferred Family Healthcare operates outpatient behavioral health clinics across Northern Missouri, including in Trenton and Kirksville, according to Recovered.org. If the court finds reason to believe Wright violated any release condition, his bond may be forfeited and he is subject to immediate re-arrest.
The allegations regarding ownership of the backpack and its contents remain just that — allegations — until the case is adjudicated in court. Wednesday's initial appearance will offer the first indication of how the case, and Wright's ability to meet the strict cash-only bond, will proceed.
