KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The husband of a woman missing since January says his arrest at a Fourth of July party was not his fault. Some neighbors disagree and many are too afraid to talk.
In one of his first public comments since his wife went missing, Shon Pernice says he was driving home from a party when a neighbor threw some sort of chemical into his car.
That, Shon says, is what sparked an argument that led to his arrest on charges of disturbing the peace.
Neighbors and witnesses tell a different story though, saying Shon was drunk and belligerent, yelling at neighbors as he stumbled around the party near his home.
"Nobody started with the guy," says neighbor Charles Bates. "This guy was totally drunk. He should have been brought on more charges than just disturbing the peace, you know?"
A copy of Shon's July 5, 2009 citation shows he faces an August 18,2009 court date for disturbing the peace.
Several neighbors declined on-camera interviews about the incident. They told reporter Lindsay Shively that they feared retaliation from Pernice.
Shon’s wife, 35-year-old Renee Pernice, has been missing since Jan. 2, 2009. In February, Clay County authorities said they were proceeding with the case as a death investigation, even though no body had been found.
Shon, named a person of interest in the presumed death of his wife, has not been arrested or charged with any crimes related to her disappearance, but he has had some unrelated legal issues since she disappeared.
He was charged with felony theft after allegedly stealing a neighbor’s gun just days after his wife’s disappearance. That same neighbor is the person involved in the Fourth of July party incident that once again landed Shon in jail.
Clay County authorities say they have followed dozens of leads but still do not know what might have happened to Renee. If you know anything about her whereabouts, call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS.
