A Kansas City man wanted on a no-bond federal warrant spent five hours hiding from law enforcement in a wooded stretch of Montgomery County on Thursday, eventually found tucked into a tree while wearing a full ghillie suit. The search ended around 10 p.m. after a Missouri State Highway Patrol drone spotted him, closing out a manhunt that began after a separate report at about 4:50 p.m.
According to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to the 100 block of Strube Road, near New Florence, at 6:30 a.m. Thursday after a report of someone in camouflage on private property. Deputies could not locate anyone after the morning report. After a separate report at about 4:50 p.m., deputies encountered two people reported trespassing; one fled on foot into a wooded area, as First Alert 4 reported. It quickly became clear the fleeing man was no ordinary trespasser.
The sheriff's office said the man had a no-bond warrant through the U.S. Marshals Service for weapons-related charges, with nationwide extradition attached. ABC 17 News identified the man as John W. Atterberry, a 52-year-old from Kansas City, and reported that a property owner's deer camera caught him in the 100 block of Strube Road just after 7:15 p.m. — while First Alert 4's account placed a trail-camera sighting around 7:16 p.m. Either way, Atterberry was still loose in the woods hours after the initial report.
Drone Spots Suspect Hidden in Tree
The search stretched into the night before investigators got their break. At 10 p.m., an MSHP drone located the suspect hiding in a tree, the sheriff's account notes. Law enforcement then surrounded the tree and took him into custody. When deputies reached him, he was wearing a full ghillie suit — the shaggy, leaf-and-burlap camouflage gear often used by hunters and snipers to blend into foliage.
He was transported to Montgomery County Jail to face the outstanding federal warrant along with multiple counts of first-degree trespassing and felony resisting arrest.
Ginseng Bag Draws Conservation Scrutiny
The search turned up more than just a fugitive. Deputies found the suspect's personal bag, which contained a large quantity of ginseng, the sheriff's office said. The Missouri Department of Conservation seized the ginseng and is investigating potential violations involving possession limits and harvesting without a permit.
Beyond the warrant details, the trespassing counts and the resisting-arrest charge, little else about the case has been made public. It remains unclear whether the conservation investigation will lead to additional charges tied to the ginseng find.
