Missouri man who allegedly shot crop duster airplane faces attempted murder charge
A rural Missouri man is accused of attempted murder and other violent felony crimes for allegedly shooting a midair crop duster airplane with a high-powered rifle after he had complained about pilots flying near his property, according to court records.
Donald V. Bates Jr., 62, was charged Friday in Caldwell County Court with second-degree attempted murder, unlawful weapon use, first-degree assault, felony property damage and armed criminal action. He was being held without bond in the custody of the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office as of Friday afternoon.
According to court papers, the shooting unfolded on July 10 near farmland on the outskirts of Kidder, a small town roughly 70 miles northeast of Kansas City. Deputies from the sheriff’s office began the investigation after they were called out to investigate a report of a small plane that had been struck by gunfire.
Investigators interviewed the pilot, an employee of Hunter Flying Services, who had been assigned that day to spray crops near Caldwell Road and Oak Drive. As he was exiting the field, the pilot reported hearing a loud pop and thought he had collided with something in the air.
Once the plane landed at Lexington Municipal Airport, roughly 30 miles away, the pilot recorded during his post-flight inspection that the fuel tank had apparently been punctured by a bullet, causing a fuel leak. Another bullet hole was found in the nose of the plane.
Investigators recovered bullet fragments and surveyed the damage, concluding that they must have come from a large caliber firearm. Damage to the plane was estimated to be roughly $12,000 along with $25,000 in lost wages because of the time needed to make repairs, according to court papers.
Witnesses told police they heard what sounded like gunshots coming from Bates’ residence around the time that the plane was hit. One reported hearing as many as 15 rounds fired.
Two months before the shooting, the sheriff’s office investigated a separate incident where another pilot accused Bates of threatening him with a gun while he was flying in the area. That pilot reported seeing Bates wave a gun around as the pilot flew roughly 100 feet overhead.
During a police interview in regard to the earlier case, Bates allegedly admitted to carrying a shotgun that day but denied pointing the gun at the pilot. He said he confronted the pilot by raising his arms and putting up his middle finger at the pilot.
Bates said he thought the plane was flying too low near his property and he “wanted him to stop,” according to court papers. He was later charged with brandishing a firearm in connection with that incident.
Sheriff Mitchell Allen said in a statement on Friday that authorities had assisted the FBI with serving a federal search warrant at Bates’ property.
During that search, investigators allegedly found several long guns along with “ammunition capable” of penetrating an aircraft, court papers say.
In charging documents filed Friday, a detective investigating the case wrote that Bates presented a danger to society. He wrote in court papers that “a catastrophic chain of events” could have occurred had the pilot been shot in the air.
An attorney for Bates did not immediately reply to The Star’s request for comment Friday evening.
