Persistent Assault Offender Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Assaulting Two Deputies and Elderly Civilian

SPRINGFIELD, MO. — Matthew Billy Romesburg was sentenced on April 6, 2026, by Greene County Judge Jerry Harmison to 18 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections following his guilty plea to five felony charges arising from a violent confrontation on December 30, 2023, along Interstate 44 near the West Bypass in Springfield. The court denied probation. All sentences were ordered to run concurrently. There was no plea agreement in the case.

This incident began when Romesburg rear-ended another driver on Interstate 44. Rather than waiting for law enforcement, Romesburg got out of his vehicle, approached the other driver’s car, and began punching the 77-year-old driver’s window. He then retrieved a car jack, threw it through the driver’s window and began punching the victim in the face. The victim fell out of the car and crawled beneath it to escape. When Greene County Sheriff’s Deputies Cade Friend and Michael Gahman arrived on scene, Romesburg told Deputy Friend he would assault him if he came any closer. Romesburg then attacked both deputies, striking Deputy Friend multiple times — including in the face with a closed fist — and throwing Deputy Gahman to the ground. Deputy Friend suffered a fractured nose that would later require surgery. Deputy Gahman sustained abrasions to his elbow and knee, with swelling in his knee, and also sought hospital treatment.

Romesburg pleaded guilty to three counts of Assault in the Second Degree (Class B felony), one count of Resisting Arrest by Violence (Class E felony), and one count of Unlawful Use of a Weapon (Class E felony). As a prior and persistent assault offender with two prior assault convictions within the preceding ten years, Romesburg was subject to enhanced sentencing as a class A felony under Missouri law. The court sentenced him to 18 years on each of the three assault counts involving the two deputies and the civilian victim, four years on the resisting arrest count, and four years on the weapons count. All sentences run concurrently. The assault convictions against the elderly victim and the law enforcement officers are classified as dangerous felonies due to their special victim status, requiring Romesburg to serve 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. Probation was denied.

“Matthew Romesburg was given every opportunity in prior cases to turn his life around. He received the benefit of probation, he was offered treatment, and he was extended the special grace of Veterans Court — a program designed to honor his service while addressing the root causes of his behavior. The community and our law enforcement officer’s safety have to come first. A lengthy prison sentence is not only appropriate in this case – it is necessary to protect the public,” said Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson.

The case was investigated by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Kim Pulley and Joshua Harrel.

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