A Jefferson County jury has found Anthony S. Laemmel, 41, of De Soto guilty of nine felonies for breaking into a home and assaulting a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy, court records show.
Laemmel on March 26 was found guilty of second-degree assault of a special victim and unlawful use of a weapon that was shot, each one a class B felony; second-degree burglary, a class D felony; resisting arrest, unlawful use of a weapon exhibiting and first-degree property damage, each one a class E felony; and three counts of armed criminal action, unclassified felonies, according to court records.
Class B felonies are punishable by five to 15 years in prison, and a class D felony carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison. Class E felonies are punishable by up to four years in prison, and unclassified felonies carry penalties of three to 15 years in prison.
Jefferson County Div. 5 Circuit Judge Victor Melenbrink is scheduled to sentence Laemmel on June 17. Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Courtney Goodwin prosecuted the case.
According to the probable-cause statement in the case, Laemmel forced his way into a De Soto-area home on Jan. 20, 2023. While he was in the house, he found two guns and shot them inside the home, damaging the floor, walls, cabinets and furniture.
Laemmel also broke furniture, and when a 65-year-old man who lived at the house returned home, he found Laemmel in a bedroom closet using a wooden rod to damage the closet’s walls. Laemmel also threatened to hit the man with the rod, the report said.
When a deputy arrived, Laemmel was still in the closet, and he refused to come out. Laemmel struck the deputy’s right arm and bicep with the rod before being removed from the closet and arrested, according to the report.
Laemmel had been released from prison on Jan 9, 2023, after serving most of a 13-year prison sentence he received in October 2013 for manufacturing or attempting to manufacture marijuana in a home with a child or within 2,000 feet of a school, college or school bus and for first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, court records show.