Two fugitives apprehended, charges upgraded

Two Licking fugitives were apprehended in August, and charges against a Beulah man were upgraded last week.

Roger Burgess, of Licking, was apprehended in Pulaski County earlier this month. He is currently incarcerated in the Dent County Jail where probation had been revoked on a 2017 charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance. He also faces charges of Trafficking Drugs – 2nd Degree, Delivery of a Controlled Substance, and Operating a Vehicle on Highway without a Valid License.

Leon Davidian, of Licking, was arrested by the Troy Police Department in Troy, Ill., on August 25, 2022. He was being held at the Madison County, Ill., jail pending extradition. Davidian has a Texas County warrant for failing to register as a sex offender and driving while revoked. He also faces questioning in several cases of stealing/deceptive business practices.

The charges of Involuntary Manslaughter and Abandonment of a Corpse filed against Michael Billingsley on August 22, in the death of Vanessa Bradfield, of Beulah, were upgraded in a warrant served on August 24. New charges are Murder 2nd Degree, Domestic Assault – 2nd Degree, and Abandonment of a Corpse. He is being held in the Phelps County Jail without bond.

Also arrested in the case was Douglas Wayne Billingsley, age 66, of Exline, Iowa. Douglas Billingsley, the father of Michael Billingsley, was charged with Tampering with Evidence in a Felony Proceeding. The elder Billingsley posted a $20,000 bond and was released on Tuesday, August 23.

The charges for which Roger Burgess, Leon Davidian, and Michael and Douglas Billingsley were arrested are merely accusations and are not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.