27-05-2025
Southwest Missouri officer accused of falsifying charges in fatal hit-and-run
McDONALD COUNTY, Mo. — A southwest Missouri police officer is the subject of a criminal investigation leading to felony charges.
Rhonda Wise, a Senior Deputy Marshal with the Noel Marshal's Office, is charged with one count of perjury.
On Tuesday, Prosecuting Attorney Maleia Cheney filed the charge, accusing Wise of lying on a criminal complaint. The case she is accused of falsifying involves charges filed against a McDonald County woman in a fatal hit-and-run crash in November of last year that killed Michael Pruden.
The Missouri Highway Patrol conducted the investigation, and charges against that woman were dismissed after problems with the case surfaced.
According to today's charge, authorities say Wise put false information about a broken headlight in the Probable Cause Statement filed in the Pruden fatality case. The trooper working the case said he questioned Wise about the serial number information she gave in her sworn statement (the PC). He said the evidence in that case found no serial number on the broken pieces of headlight found at the scene of the crash.
Rhonda-Wise-Probable-Cause-Statement-Perjury-ChargeDownload
Wise is currently on suspension from the Marshal's office and her future with the department is unknown at this time.
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