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Guilty verdict issued in hostage standoff, brutal assault case
KENNETT, Mo. — A jury in Pemiscot County has found Kenneth Canday, 25, guilty of 13 felonies, including kidnappings, assaults, robbery, weapons offenses, and resisting arrest. The verdict was delivered Tuesday, following a two-day trial presided over by Judge Joshua D. Underwood.
The charges against Canday stem from a violent incident on Jan. 28, in Senath, Missouri. Canday, along with codefendants, lured a man to an apartment where they brutally assaulted him, inflicting cuts and burns, and robbed him of his cell phone, law enforcement reported. The following day, Canday escalated the situation by taking hostages and engaging in an eight-hour standoff with law enforcement. Hostage negotiators successfully secured the release of one hostage after four hours, and a SWAT team intervened to rescue the second hostage and apprehend Canday.
The case was moved to Pemiscot County after Canday requested a change of venue from Dunklin County. The jury found him guilty of multiple felonies, including two counts of first-degree kidnapping, first-degree robbery, and several counts of armed criminal action.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Dicus expressed satisfaction with the verdict, stating, “I was happy to secure justice for the victims in front of a jury of my Pemiscot County neighbors.”
Underwood has ordered that Canday be held without bail until his sentencing hearing Jan. 6. Canday faces an enhanced sentencing range due to previous felony convictions for receiving stolen property and tampering with electronic monitoring equipment.
Investigation and law enforcement involvement
The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Senath Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Hornersville Police Department, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, and the Dunklin County Sheriff’s Office. This case highlights the ongoing challenges faced by law enforcement in addressing violent crime in the region.