Recent Dent County Criminal Filings include Pursuit, Felony Drug Charges
Published 5:00 am Tuesday, June 16, 2026
A high-speed pursuit and felony drug case were among the notable criminal filings in Dent County during the first two weeks of June.
A 21-year-old Washington, Missouri, man faces multiple charges following a high-speed chase with the Missouri State Highway Patrol on June 5. Prosecutors charged Grady J. Lamb on June 6 with a class E felony of resisting arrest by fleeing, a class A misdemeanor of driving while intoxicated as a prior offender, and a class B misdemeanor for speeding.
According to authorities, a state trooper observed Lamb driving a black GMC Sierra at 71 mph in a 55 mph zone on Highway K at approximately 8 p.m. When the trooper activated emergency lights, Lamb allegedly accelerated up to 95 mph to evade the officer, later stating he hoped to lose the trooper in the hills. Two female passengers were inside the vehicle. Lamb eventually yielded on Highway BB after a 2.7-mile pursuit. A breath test administered at the Dent County Jail showed a blood alcohol concentration of .098%. Lamb has a prior driving while intoxicated conviction from July 2025 in Warren County. Associate Circuit Judge Nathan Kelsaw issued an arrest warrant on June 6, setting Lamb’s bond at $20,000. Lamb was arrested and served the warrant the same day.
In a separate case, a Rolla woman faces felony drug charges following a filing by Dent County prosecutors on June 11. Ashley Carolyna Soder was charged with two counts of class D felony possession of a controlled substance and one count of class A misdemeanor unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
The charges against Soder stem from an earlier traffic stop on March 7. A highway patrol trooper stopped Soder’s white Ford Escape on Missouri 32 after a computer check revealed its license plate belonged to a Dodge. According to court documents, Soder became nervous and defensive during the stop when questioned about prior drug-related arrests.
Soder subsequently surrendered a small zip-lock baggie containing methamphetamine, a glass pipe with burnt residue, and a pill containing acetaminophen and hydrocodone bitartrate. Soder admitted the items belonged to her. Because Soder has prior felony drug convictions from 2017 and 2020, prosecutors filed the charges as a prior and persistent drug offender, which increases the potential penalty to a term of five to 15 years in prison upon conviction.
All suspects are presumed innocent until determined otherwise by a court of law.
