A Jefferson County jury has found Sean Nicolos Ramsey, 33, of Festus guilty of assaulting a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy who was trying to arrest Ramsey following an alleged robbery and carjacking in Crystal City. Ramsey was able to monetarily grab the deputy’s gun and fire one shot during the altercation, according to court documents.
The jury on Sept. 12 found Ramsey guilty of two counts of first-degree assault of a special victim, class A felonies; two counts of armed criminal action, unclassified felonies; two counts of disarming a peace officer, class D felonies; unlawful possession of a firearm, a class D felony; and resisting arrest, a class A misdemeanor, court records show.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 17, court documents said.
The assault charges are each punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison, and the armed criminal action charges each carry a penalty of five to 15 years in prison. The two class D felony charges are all punishable by up to seven years in prison, and the resisting arrest charge carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.
Ramsey initially also was charged with first-degree robbery and vehicle hijacking, both class A felonies. However, Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Trisha Stefanski said those charges were dismissed due to availability issues with the witnesses.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Courtney Goodwin is prosecuting the case.
Ramsey was arrested on Dec. 26, 2023, after a deputy located him at a home in the 1400 block of Harness Road in Festus. Prior to the deputy locating him, Ramsey allegedly stole a bong from the Crystal City Cannabis Dispensary, 100 N. Truman Blvd, and then he stole a car outside the store, according to the case’s probable-cause statement.
Ramsey allegedly pulled out what appeared to be a black handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the employee, saying, “Not a good idea, big man,” when he was confronted about stealing the bong. He then left the store, got into a 2008 Pontiac G6 and when a person inside the vehicle tried to prevent Ramsey from stealing it, he allegedly pressed a gun against the person’s ribs and took the car, report said.
After the alleged robbery and car theft, the Jefferson County deputy went to Ramsey’s home to investigate the incidents and encountered the suspect in the driveway and told him he was being detained for a felony offense, according to the report.
Ramsey refused to place his hands behind his back, and the situation escalated to a physical altercation, resulting in the two hitting each other, the report said.
During the altercation, Ramsey was able to get the deputy’s baton, and he allegedly struck the officer with the weapon. The deputy was able to get on top of Ramsey to gain control of him, but Ramsey grabbed the deputy’s department-issued pistol from its holster and fired one round, which went through the bottom of the holster and did not strike either man, the probable-cause statement said.
“The deputy was able to reholster the firearm and ultimately was able to place the defendant in handcuffs once additional deputies arrived on scene,” the report said.
The deputy’s right hand was broken, and he was hit under the left eye, causing a bruise, during the altercation, according to the report.
Ramsey had been released from prison just 12 days prior to the incidents.
Ramsey has six prior felony convictions for drug possession and burglary. On Dec. 14, he was released from the Missouri Department of Corrections after completing a 120-day substance abuse treatment program and was ordered to serve five years’ supervised probation for first-degree burglary and possession of a controlled substance, court documents said.
The burglary conviction stemmed from an incident on Sept. 16, 2021, when Ramsey, along with 36-year-old Wayne Roam of House Springs, attempted to burglarize a mobile home in the 400 block of Sequoia Drive off Meyer Road. The homeowner, who confronted the masked men and was maced, fatally shot Roam, according to previous news reports.
Ramsey originally was charged in that incident with second-degree murder, first-degree burglary and third-degree assault, but as part of a plea agreement, the murder and assault charges were dismissed, court records show.
Ramsey’s probation was revoked in June 2024, and the judge executed his 10-year sentence for burglary. That sentence will run concurrently, or at the same time, with the sentence he receives in November, according to court documents.
Ramsey is currently being held at the Southeast Correction Center in Charleston.