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Jury Convicts Man Who Denied State’s Traffic Laws Applied to Him

  • Feb 2
  • 2 min read

SPRINGFIELD, MO. — Ray Dean Wolfe, 61, of Aurora, was found guilty of exceeding the speed limit, failure to register a motor vehicle, and displaying an unlawful plate on a motor vehicle on February 2, 2026, following a one-day jury trial. The jury deliberated for approximately 26 minutes. Wolfe represented himself at trial. Judge J. Ronald Carrier presided over the trial.


On April 9, 2025, a Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy observed Wolfe driving a silver Ford F150 at 63 miles per hour in a 50 mile-per-hour zone on West Bypass near Mount Vernon Street in Springfield. When stopped, Wolfe presented what he claimed were “foreign ministry plates” and a typed document purporting to register the vehicle with “Yechezkel Ministries out of the Republic of China.” The registration document contained a misspelled header and listed Wolfe’s Aurora address. Investigation revealed the vehicle’s Missouri registration had expired in March 2024. The deputy seized the fraudulent plates and paperwork as evidence. Wolfe claimed the plates were legitimate and stated he would see the deputy in federal court.


Wolfe was convicted of the Class C misdemeanor of exceeding the speed limit by 11-15 miles per hour, the Class B misdemeanor of failure to register a motor vehicle, and the infraction of displaying an unlawful plate on a motor vehicle. Judge Carrier set the Motion for New Trial and Sentencing for February 23, 2026.


“Cases in which defendants represent themselves and deny that state laws apply to them can be challenging. This case demonstrates, however, that offenders cannot evade Missouri’s motor vehicle laws by displaying fake plates and claiming false exemptions. I appreciate the Greene County Sheriff’s Office for their thorough investigation of this matter, and the work of Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Spencer Paige and Elizabeth Fax who tried the case.” said Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson.


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