Slates to be tried in New Jersey

Roy A. Slates appeared in a Vernon County courtroom on Sept. 28, and consented to extradition and signed a waiver to that effect before Associate Circuit Judge Neal Quitno.

Slates is being held in the Vernon County jail as he awaits extradition to the state of New Jersey. Vernon County Sheriff Ron Peckman said he expects Slates to be picked up and transported "sometime this week."

Deputies of the Vernon County Sheriff's office arrested Slates, 55, of Nevada on Sept. 20, on a New Jersey warrant charging Slates with kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.

All four New Jersey charges were filed in connection to a botched January 2010 kidnapping attempt of New Jersey pet food dealer Jeffrey Muller. Four other men are charged in the case and being held in the Sussex County New Jersey jail.

Muller was allegedly kidnapped from his place of business by Douglas Stangeland, of Nevada, and Lonnie Swarnes and Andrew Wadel, of Rich Hill, Mo., on Jan. 8. The trio were trying to recover a large sum of money said to have been lost by Slates in a land deal gone bad.

While Stangeland, Swarnes and Wadel were en route to Missouri with Muller, the victim managed to escape in Lake Ozark, and police were called to the scene where Muller was rescued and all three were arrested.

During the investigation, William Barger, Nevada, was implicated in the case and subsequently arrested. Slates was later tied to the alleged crimes and turned himself in before posting a $5,000 bond on two felony charges.

Swarnes waived extradition from the Miller County jail in Tuscumbia, Mo. Soon after his arrest in Miller County, he was transported to New Jersey. Stangeland and Wadel were transferred from Miller County to Vernon County and face multiple charges related to a November 2009 home invasion and shooting incident in rural Vernon County.

The home invasion, which left Charles Scammell wounded from a shotgun blast, was eventually tied into the kidnapping case. Further investigation implicated that Barger and Slates were connected to the home invasion and kidnapping attempt. Stangeland, Wadel and Barger have all been transported to New Jersey and Slates waits in the Vernon County jail without bond.