Man charged in death of Cedar County deputy has case moved to Springfield

The man who is charged with murder in the November death of a Cedar County deputy had his case transferred to Greene County.

Joshua Brown, 28, of El Dorado Springs, is charged with second-degree murder and three other felonies after authorities say he was the driver in a chase that ended with his passenger jumping out of the car and killing deputy Matthew Chism in a shootout. The passenger also died.

Brown’s attorney argued that because of the publicity surrounding the case he could not get a fair trial in Cedar County, and the court agreed.

Brown’s case was transferred to Greene County Circuit Court on Monday. His trial is set for Nov. 2 in front of Judge Calvin Holden.

Ty Gaither, Cedar County prosecuting attorney, will try the case for the state. He said he did not feel like the change of venue was necessary, but he supports the court’s decision.

“We believe that the jurors in Cedar County could be fair and impartial, but when a case has a lot of press, the court takes every precaution to make sure the defendant has a fair trial,” Gaither said. “I believe that is what the court is doing in this case.”

Authorities say Brown led Chism on a chase on Nov. 1 and threw a small container of meth syringes out of the vehicle during the pursuit.

Authorities say Chism, 25, died in a gunfight with Brown’s passenger that night, 28-year-old William Collins of El Dorado Springs. Collins was also killed.

Chism was honored at the annual Peace Officers’ Memorial Service last month at Praise Assembly in Springfield. He was married with a young son.