Lee sentenced for evidence tampering, other charges

Suspect will serve time related to stabbing at Miller Casey's
A Miller man who was arrested after an altercation at the Casey’s in Miller last year was sentenced on Monday, April 1, to three years in prison for tampering with evidence.
Thomas Lee, 56, received the sentence as part of a plea bargain in which he pleaded guilty to the charge in exchange for the dismissal of two counts of first degree assault, serious physical injury.
Lee, who was on probation for possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest in a separate case, also had his probation revoked and was sentenced to five years in prison on the possession charge and three years for the resisting charge. He will serve those sentences concurrently with each other, the sentence for tampering and any other existing sentences he has.
Lee was transferred to the Missouri Department of Corrections on Thursday, March 4.

Lee was arrested for stabbing two men
Lee was originally arrested on the tampering charge on March 19, 2023. The Lawrence County Record reported that a Lawrence County deputy sheriff was informed of a medical call involving a stabbing in Miller. When he arrived, one of the victims was inside the floor of a residence with three stab wounds, two to the left side of the ribs and one to the left forearm. The deputy stated that the victim was in and out of consciousness and could not be interviewed, so he took photos of the wounds before the man was transported to Cox South Hospital.
A second victim was also at the residence with a stab wound to his left ribs; he was alert and able to speak with the deputy. The man said he and the other victim saw Lee at the dumpsters at Casey’s, and they went to see what was going on.
The man said he saw the other victim walk up to Lee and saw Lee “jabbing” him. The second victim said he walked up to get closer to see what was happening when Lee “jabbed” him. At the time, the man said, he didn’t immediately realize he was injured. The second victim was also later transported to Cox South.

Lee claimed self-defense
The deputy made contact with Lee at his residence; Lee, the deputy said, was cooperative and came outside with his hands up in the air. After he was advised of his rights, Lee told the deputy where the knife he allegedly stabbed the two men with was. The deputy reported it was in a culvert just north of Lee’s residence, inside a Clorox bottle filled with bleach.
Lee was taken to the sheriff’s office, where he was interviewed. During his interview, Lee stated he often goes to dumpsters to get items from them, and that he frequented Casey’s because they throw out pizzas, and he uses them to feed his dogs.
At the time of the stabbings, Lee said, he was at the dumpsters when two men showed up and one of them said, “This isn’t your wife. I told you it’s not your wife.” Lee then said that the first victim, whom he knew previously, told him to get away from the dumpsters and identified himself as the owner of them.
Lee said he agreed to leave and was walking towards his car when the first victim said, “If you have a beef with me, let’s settle this right here,” and then flicked a cigarette butt at him, which he said hit him in the neck and then, he thought, went down his sweatshirt. Then, Lee said, the second victim made a movement to his left, and when he (Lee) looked in that direction, the first victim punched him in the face, leaving a visible bruising near his left eye.
At that point, Lee said, the second victim grabbed him as the first victim was hitting him. Lee said he didn’t remember grabbing his knife but knew it ended up in his hand, and he was defending himself. He also said the second victim came to grab him again, but he moved his right hand with the knife towards him and wasn’t sure if he struck the second victim.

Video recorded some of incident
The deputy sheriff reported that doorbell camera footage was recorded of the two victims at the residence where he located them; he said it showed them watching Lee pull up to the dumpsters. The second victim, he said, appeared to hide behind the corner of the porch, stating that he thought “it was his wife and she found him.” Seconds later, the deputy reported, the two men walked over to the direction of the Casey’s. About three minutes later, it showed them returning to the house with injuries; one of them shouted, “Call an ambulance now; I’ve been stabbed.”