Lebanon man charged in robbery

A Lebanon man who led authorities on a chase Monday in Cole and Callaway counties has been charged with a robbery in Cole County.

Court records show Dustin Felber, 30, is charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

A Cole County Sheriff's Department probable cause statement shows Felber committed the robbery around 1:30 a.m. Monday at a home in the 5900 block of Upton Road.

The victim said he and Felber, whom he'd known since childhood, were at the victim's shop near his residence, drinking and smoking marijuana. During that time, the victim paid Felber $500 for tools, which included a heater, reciprocating saw, drill and drill bits.

As he was getting ready to leave, Felber suddenly pulled out a pistol and fired off a round next to the victim's head and yelled at him to get down on the ground.

After the victim and Felber exchanged words, Felber grabbed a .22-caliber rifle and took the tools at gunpoint.

Felber got into a vehicle with an unknown subject, and Felber fired six to eight shots as the car sped off.

Around 10 a.m., Jefferson City police were assisting the sheriff's department in looking for Felber and saw his car at a motel on the south side of the city.

They attempted to stop Felber's vehicle, which didn't pull over. A chase ensued and continued northbound on U.S. 54 to Missouri 94, then eastbound on 94.

As the pursuit left the Jefferson City limits, one of the occupants of the vehicle shot at the primary pursuing officer at least once, but the officer was not struck.

The pursuit continued into Tebbetts, at times going onto levees along the Missouri River, with multiple law enforcement agencies involved.

The pursuit eventually was terminated after the suspect vehicle was disabled on a Callaway County road and went onto private property.

When he was taken into custody around 1 p.m., Felber was questioned by authorities. He denied ever being at the Upton Road location where the robbery occurred.

The victim gave authorities a description of the weapon Felber used in the robbery, and it matched the description of the gun thrown from the car during the chase.

A shoe print found on the dirt driveway of the Upton Road residence matched the shoes Felber was wearing when he was taken into custody, police said.