On Tues., Jan. 17, 2012, North Dakota District Judge Josh Rustad gave 47-year-old Lester Vann Waters the highest bond he has seen to date in his criminal career: a $2.5 million bond. Waters, along with 22-year-old Michael Keith Spell, have been charged with aggravated kidnapping in the case of missing Montana math teacher Sherry Arnold.
Arnold was last seen jogging on Jan. 7 at 6:30 a.m. and law enforcement has now said they believe that Waters and Spell, most recently residents of Parachute, CO, were in physical contact with her as early as 6:40 a.m. on that fateful morning at 900 E. Holly St. in Sidney, MT. according to the Bismarck Tribune.
FBI seek assistance finding Arnold's body
Sherry Arnold is believed dead, but her body has not been found so far, with the FBI requesting property owners in Northeastern Montana--as well as three counties in N. Dakota (McKenzie, Mountrail, and Williams)--scour their terrain for signs of a buried body, specifically near “mature or rotted trees.”
CBS reported that the FBI specifically mentioned properties containing “shelter belts,” as well, but law enforcement had declined to specify exactly why they think Arnold’s body may be buried in this type of location.
Despite the reluctance of the FBI to disclose their reasoning, it undoubtedly has to do with one of the suspects and his prior work history and knowledge, as well as any material evidence gathered from the last known location of Sherry Arnold--and her alleged shoe found at the scene.
Profile of Lester Vann Waters
Completely understanding the suspects in this case can only help aid investigators to the location of Sherry Arnold’s body, if she is indeed dead, as law enforcement is alleging.
The oldest suspect in the missing Montana woman’s case, Lester Vann Waters, began his official criminal record on Jan. 5, 2002, when he was sentenced to two years’ time for a gun felony that occurred in Indian Rivers County, Florida according to Florida state records. Waters was released on Dec. 21, 2003.
His next arrest came on Thurs., April 13, 2006 at 12:49 a.m. in Sebastian, FL, when the Sebastian Florida Police Department (SFPD) took him into custody for leaving the scene of an accident. Police took him into custody at the Sebastian Medical Center that day.
Besides the “leaving the scene” charge, Lester Vann Waters, the Sherry Arnold suspect was also charged with driving with a suspended/revoked/cancelled license as well during that jail trip.
Donald Brown Bail Bonds posted the $5,000 “leaving the scene” bond, as well as the $500 “license suspended” bond charge. Waters was incarcerated in jail for only one day for those charges, released by Sebastian Florida PD on April 14, 2006 at 6:18 p.m.
Another arrest
One year after his May 2006 court date for that arrest--on Friday, May 30, 2007 at 9:50 a.m.--the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office arrested the suspect in the Missing Montana teacher’s case. This time it was for knowingly driving on a suspended/revoked license, as well as a DUI. Waters still had his “leaving the scene of an accident” and “suspended license” charges on the books, so his bond was revoked in those cases by Judge Cox during Waters’ first appearance in court.
Less than three months later, on August 16, 2007 12:49 a.m., Lester Vann Waters, the habitual violator, was once again released from a Florida jail. But it wasn’t long before he was back in the same facility.
On Friday, Nov. 2, 2007 at 4 p.m.--only three months since being released from his second jail experience--Waters was picked up in Vero Beach, FL at 4055 41st Avenue. This time Waters was held for another law enforcement agency regarding his prior arrest charges.
Habitual violator
Lester Waters’ next brush with law enforcement came on Friday, Oct. 24, 2008 at 7:53 p.m., when the suspect from Parachute, CO was back in the crosshairs of the Sebastian PD in Florida. This time the 45-year-old was picked up at 1712 Sunrise Lane in Sebastian, FL by law enforcement and the charges brought against him was a felony, as Waters was a habitual violator (driving on a suspended license repeatedly).
Vince Gaskin Bail Bond put up the $5,000 bond for Waters’ release in that arrest, and a court date was set for the middle of December of that year. In the meantime, Lester Vann Waters was once again released, spending only one day in jail.
Felony charges
On Dec. 26, 2008 at 9:08 p.m., however, the suspect in Sherry Arnold’s disappearance was facing three felony charges, which included felonies for violating his probation, as well as failure to appear in court for his previous court date--and habitual violator in regards to driving on suspended/revoked license. He was picked up at 5200 58th Avenue, Vero Beach, FL.
Lester Vann Waters would go on to serve time for those offenses, eventually released from state custody in August of 2010. At some point in time after that he moved to Parachute, CO where he connected with the other suspect in the Sherry Arnold case: 22-year-old Michael Keith Spell.
References: Florida Dept. of Corrections, Indian River County Sheriff's Office, CBS, Bismarck Tribune
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