Man Covered In Blood Is Charged With Dragging, Stabbing Camper Near Bagnell Dam

MILLER COUNTY, Mo. — John Joe Powell was standing over an unconscious victim, covered in blood, when he was arrested in the early hours of Friday, Sept. 22, according to police.

Powell is charged with six felonies after authorities say he beat and stabbed a man nearly to death, even allegedly dragging the victim behind an SUV, on Thursday night or early Friday morning. The victim was taken to University Hospital with life-threatening injuries, including stab wounds on the head and arm area, and nearly-severed fingers on his left hand.

According to the Lake Ozark Police Department, Powell, 39, of Mexico, Mo., had been tent camping at a campground below Bagnell Dam for at least two weeks with his wife, when they met the man Powell allegedly assaulted. An Ameren security guard called police after coming across the two men and seeing the victim’s injuries. Police say when they arrived, they found the victim not breathing and tied with paracord to a Jeep Cherokee. When they asked Powell how the victim got where he was, police say Powell told them, “I put him there, because he’s threatening to kill my wife and [expletive].” When asked what the victim’s name was, Powell reportedly responded with a string of expletives.

Authorities report a campsite “full of blood and blood spatter,” with a trail of blood leading from the campsite to where the Jeep stood. The victim’s body was tied to the Cherokee when authorities arrived, and they said they believed he had been dragged by the vehicle. Two bloody knives were found near Powell's tent, according to the probable cause document.

The document states a witness to the assault told authorities Powell had threatened to “filet” the victim and had threatened to cut off the victim’s limbs, “break every bone in your body,” and “slit your throat.”

Powell is charged with three counts of 1st Degree Assault and three counts of Armed Criminal Action and is being held in the Miller County Jail on $300,000 bond. Powell has a lengthy criminal history on CaseNet, with charges and convictions ranging from assault to stealing.