Poplar Bluff man charged in missing-person case

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff man was arrested Thursday night in Shannon County on a charge he assaulted another man who was reported missing earlier this summer.

Eldrid Leon Smith, 24, of the 2400 block of Route B, was arrested about 9 a.m. in Birch Tree, Missouri, according to Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs.

"He was actually on foot near a roadway, and a deputy on patrol spotted him lying down," Dobbs said. "Upon seeing the deputy, he fled. The deputy did not have knowledge of why he was fleeing and gave chase."

The Shannon County deputy, Dobbs said, used a Taser to detain Smith and "finds out he had a warrant through us."

The warrant was for first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

Smith was extradited to Butler County, where he is being held on $75,000 cash bond.

Dobbs said the warrant stemmed from the disappearance of Edward "Acie" Goodwin, 32, who was last seen June 29. Connie Goodwin reported her son missing July 5.

"Approximately two weeks ago, Eldrid Smith gave us a detailed statement about an assault and robbery of Edward Goodwin that he had arranged with several other people," Dobbs said.

Smith and Goodwin, the sheriff said, were "very familiar" with each other, and "at the time of the incident, they were working together on a remodeling project at a house in Butler County.

"Ed Goodwin, no doubt, had a level of trust with Eldrid Smith and had no idea that Smith was setting him up for retaliation. Apparently, there was a grudge over past drug transactions between Ed Goodwin and the group who eventually assaulted him," Dobbs said.

Based on the investigation, it is "apparent to us at this point that Ed Goodwin is not among the living," Dobbs said. "... At this point, we haven't found Ed Goodwin's body; however, I think that is just a matter of time."

Dobbs said he anticipates once Goodwin's body is found, the charges "will be upgraded, and we'll be requesting murder charges."