Two men taken into custody for 2023 home invasion

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office has made two arrests in connection with the armed home invasion that occurred in the Town of Hustisford on January 28, 2023. 60-year-old Robert L. Ledbetter of Palmyra, Missouri, and 45-year-old Anthony Smith of Monroe City, Missouri are currently in custody in the State of Missouri and are facing extradition back to Wisconsin for their initial court appearances. Throughout the past year, the Dodge County Criminal Investigations Division worked diligently to identify those involved in this home invasion by using nearly every investigative tool possible. Over the last month, we sent two of our detectives to southern Illinois and Missouri to conduct interviews and work with local police agencies in attempts to locate Robert Ledbetter, as Anthony Smith was already in custody on non-related charges. Subsequently, Robert Ledbetter was taken into custody on February 13, 2024, on the Dodge County warrant as a result of our investigation.

The following charges have been requested and sent to the Dodge County District Attorney:

Robert Ledbetter

1. Robbery armed with a weapon – 943.32(2)

2. Burglary to building or dwelling – 943.10(1m)(a)

3. Impersonating peace officer – 946.70(1)(a)

4. False Imprisonment – 940.30

5. Criminal trespass to dwelling – 943.14(2)

6. Intimidation of victim – 940.45(3)

Anthony Smith

1. Robbery armed with a weapon – 943.32(2)

2. Burglary to building or dwelling – 943.10(1m)(a)

3. Impersonating peace officer – 946.70(1)(a)

4. False Imprisonment – 940.30

5. Criminal trespass to dwelling – 943.14(2)

6. Intimidation of victim – 940.45(3)

Sheriff Dale Schmidt would like to commend the entire criminal investigative division of the sheriff’s office for their work on this case as it was very challenging and began with very limited information. They followed the leads and made a solid case against the perpetrators in this case. Also, in closing this case they were able to obtain justice for the victim.

Finally, as a reminder, all persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Assisting the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office was the Palmyra and Hannibel Police Departments in Missouri.

Original Press Release – Home Invasion

On January 28, 2023, at approximately 6:31 a.m., the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of an armed home invasion at a residence on Indian Road, in the Town of Hustisford. The victim reported that two males came to his house and forced entry inside. The suspects told the victim that they were law enforcement officers looking for a homicide suspect.

One suspect remained with the victim while the other suspect began searching the house and asked where the victim’s valuables were. Once the suspects completed their search of the house, they fled in a white pickup truck. The suspects are reported as being white males wearing masks and one of them possibly has a southern accent.

Since this time, there has been an additional presence in this area by sheriff’s office staff in both marked and unmarked squads monitoring to ensure the community is safe. It has been necessary to limit information to the public regarding this incident as detectives have been following up on leads. Maintaining the integrity of the investigation is crucial as releasing information too soon could jeopardize a successful investigation and eventual apprehension. Now that those leads have been explored, we can release information regarding the incident.