Dillard arrested for Ash Grove crimes

An Ash Grove man is facing a combination of felony and misdemeanor charges in regards to three alleged incidents. Billy Dillard is facing two counts of stealing, two counts of property damage, one count of possession of a controlled substance, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia and one count of burglary. Dillard was booked into the Greene County Jail on Thursday, Aug. 4; as of press time, he was still in custody.

Dillard allegedly broke into truck and stole items
Dillard is accused of breaking into a vehicle in Ash Grove and stealing items from inside.  According to the probable cause statement in the case, on July 11, 2021, the owner of the vehicle contacted Ash Grove police and reported that his truck was damaged, and items were taken from inside. The vehicle’s owner provided police with video footage showing the truck being broken into between 3 a.m. and 4:20 a.m. that morning. In the video, according to the probable cause statement, a person could be seen in the video attempting to break the truck’s window by throwing something at it and was later seen walking away from the truck carrying a box.
The owner of the vehicle identified the person in the video as Dillard by a tattoo that the person was wearing, his “buzzed” hair and other features. A relative of Dillard’s viewed the video and also identified the person breaking into the vehicle as Dillard.
According to the probable cause statement, the vehicle’s rear driver’s side back quarter window and driver’s side mirror were destroyed, and items worth a combined total of $391.15 were removed from inside, including tools, shoes, a raincoat and other items.

Dillard was allegedly caught with meth and drug paraphernalia
Last spring, Dillard was allegedly found to have methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia on him when he was stopped for a violation involving his bicycle. According to the probable cause statement in the case, an Ash Grove Police officer stopped Dillard on May 6, 2021, at 3:50 a.m. for not having a lamp on his bicycle. The officer reported that Dillard consented to a search of his person, and the officer reported that he found two glass pipes, commonly used to smoke meth, and a small plastic baggie holding a white, crystalline substance. In the probable cause statement, the officer reported that the crystalline substance contained meth.

Dillard allegedly broke into the city pool concession area, stole cash
In the third incident, Dillard is accused of breaking into the concession area of the city pool and taking money from inside. According to the probable cause statement in the case, pool employees arrived at the facility around noon on Saturday, July 9, to find that the clasp of the padlock securing the door to the concession area had been broken so that a person could enter. They also found that $200 was missing, as was a cashbox.
The officer investigating the robbery viewed surveillance footage which he reported showed an individual breaking into the building around 4:34 a.m. that morning. Based on the individuals appearance, as well as his use of a bike that also appeared in the video, the officer stated he believed the person in the video was Dillard.
The officer stopped Dillard on Friday, July 15; he noted that the bike Dillard had with him was similar in appearance to the bike in the video. Dillard denied any involvement in the alleged burglary at the pool concession area; he also claimed the bike belonged to his brother, and he frequently used it. However, a relative of Dillard’s was later shown photos of the bicycle and identified it as “Billy’s bike.”
The officer also reported that Dillard has been connected to other burglaries in the area that are still under investigation.

Past convictions:
According to one of the probable cause statements, Dillard has past convictions within the past 10 years for: stealing, receiving stolen property, burglary, theft of a credit card or letter and fraudulent use of a credit/debit device.
Dillard is scheduled to next appear in court on Wednesday, Aug. 24, for a preliminary hearing.