Fugitive Arrested In Wooded Area After K9 Tracking Leads Deputies To Barnett Man

MILLER COUNTY, Mo. – Miller County deputies arrested a wanted fugitive last week in the Kaiser area following a tip from the state's Probation and Parole department.

Phillip Daniel Giller, 47, of Barnett, was wanted for failing to register as a sex offender and missing a court date on felony stealing charges. On Nov. 6, authorities located him even though his probation GPS monitoring bracelet had stopped providing updated location data.

The Miller County Sheriff's Office initially located an abandoned vehicle belonging to Giller while traveling on Bear Creek Road near Brumley. A search of the surrounding property did not yield him. Deputies remained vigilant after clearing the area.

Around 3 p.m., deputies received updated GPS coordinates indicating Giller was still on the property. They returned to the scene with the Miller County K-9 team to assist in the search for Giller, who was reportedly with an unidentified woman.

K-9 "X" successfully tracked Giller and 31-year-old Kara Ann Hewitt of Lake Ozark, to a wooded area on the property. Both individuals were taken into custody without incident and subsequently transported to the Miller County Adult Detention Center.

Giller faces multiple warrants, including:

Failure to Register as a Sex Offender (Class E Felony) – no bond allowed, issued by Moniteau County Courts.
Failure to Appear on Stealing $750 or More (Class D Felony) – no bond allowed, issued by Texas County Courts.

Giller was placed on a 24-hour hold, with additional charges pending.