A few weeks after his mother was allegedly shot and killed by his father, 28-year-old Ted N.H. Treece of High Ridge has been charged with four felonies for allegedly threatening a House Springs man and a Jefferson County Sheriff’s officer, and leading police on a chase in Columbia.
Columbia Police apprehended Treece on Aug. 22, after he fled from them and crashed his car on I-70 near Lake of the Woods, police reported.
He was transported to the Jefferson County Jail, where he was being held Monday (Sept. 10) on a $25,000 cash-only bond.
Ted Treece’s father, Steve E. Treece, 62, of Cedar Hill, has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing his wife, Donna Treece, 60, on July 11. Steve Treece was arrested after a five-hour standoff with Jefferson County deputies at his home in the Village of Cedar Hill Lakes.
Ted Treece’s trouble with police started that day when he went to the Village of Cedar Hill Lakes home and was also arrested. Ted Treece was released the next day.
But then on July 19, Ted Treece was arrested after confronting an acquaintance in the 4700 block of Wedgewood Drive in House Springs. Ted Treece accused the man of putting sugar in the gas tank of his vehicle, a probable-cause statement said.
Ted Treece allegedly shot the man in the right hand with an arrow fired from a crossbow and fired seven to eight shots from an assault rifle at the man’s feet. The man was not hit by the bullets, the report said.
Ted Treece then allegedly told the man to “go home and hug your family,” and Ted Treece was later seen outside the man’s home with a flashlight and peering through the home’s windows., the report said.
When Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at the home, they found a vehicle parked in the middle of the road that was registered to Ted Treece and inside the vehicle they allegedly found a .380-caliber handgun. Deputies also found .223-caliber rounds and arrows at the scene of the confrontation, the report said.
Ted Treece was charged with first-degree and second-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action, all felonies. He posted 10 percent of a $100,000 bond on Aug. 16 and was released, court records said.
On Aug. 18, Ted Treece tried to claim his belongings from the Sheriff’s Office, but he was told the property could not be released. Ted Treece then became argumentative with the evidence officer, a probable-cause statement said.
The statement said Treece pulled a bandana that was around his neck over his face and mumbled something to the officer. He then walked toward the elevator and told the officer to “Watch out” and “You’re not going to see it coming,” before barking like a dog, the report said.
Ted Treece was charged with fourth-degree assault, a class A misdemeanor, and his bail was revoked. He was tracked down in Columbia, and he was arrested after crashing his vehicle.
First-degree assault, a class A felony, is punishable by 10 to 30 years in prison; second-degree assault, a class D felony, is punishable by up to seven years; and armed criminal action, an unclassified felony, has a three-year minimum sentence.