Domestic Dispute Spills Into Street as Knives Fly, Children Caught in the Middle
- John Eads
- Aug 11
- 4 min read
WINFIELD, Mo. — A Sunday evening confrontation at a Winfield residence moved from an argument over parking to a physical fight involving kitchen knives, with one knife ultimately traveling across the street and landing in a neighbor’s yard.
By the time the confrontation ended, a man had been punched and suffered several superficial cuts, witnesses had seen portions of the incident and nearby cameras had captured parts of what happened. Brianna Marie Bense had left the residence in a red Chevrolet SUV before deputies arrived, but the vehicle was spotted by a responding deputy while on the way to the scene.
Brianna Marie Bense, Winfield, Missouri
Charges:
Second-degree domestic assault — Class D felony
Unlawful use of a weapon — exhibiting — Class A misdemeanor
Fourth-degree domestic assault — misdemeanor
The call came into Lincoln County 911 shortly before 6 p.m. Aug. 9 as a domestic dispute involving knives. While dispatchers were still on the phone with the original caller, a second call came in reporting the confrontation had become physical.
Dispatch also advised responding deputies that a woman involved had left the residence in a red Chevrolet SUV.
While heading toward the residence, a responding deputy spotted a red Chevrolet SUV traveling west on East Highway 47 near Bob’s Creek. The vehicle’s Missouri license plate was captured by the license plate reader mounted on the deputy’s patrol vehicle, and dispatch confirmed the SUV was registered to Bense.
The deputy continued to the residence, where other deputies were already investigating the disturbance.
The dispute itself had developed earlier that evening around a vehicle parked at the home.
The man involved lived at the residence and paid rent there. After returning from the river, he asked Bense’s boyfriend to move his vehicle so he could park in the driveway.
Bense later arrived and parked in the street. An argument followed over the parking situation.
The confrontation continued when the man went inside to retrieve a phone charger. As Bense entered the home, the door struck a child who was standing nearby, and the dispute escalated from a verbal argument to a physical confrontation.
Bense retrieved multiple knives from a kitchen drawer.
The man was struck in the face during the confrontation and later had three superficial cuts — one on his forehead, one on his left ankle and another on his left pinky knuckle.
The knives also moved beyond the kitchen.
One witness saw knives being thrown and reported that one landed in a neighbor’s yard. A second witness who lived across the street also saw the confrontation and saw a knife travel across the street into her yard.
A neighbor’s camera system captured additional portions of the incident.
Deputies recovered an approximately 8-inch chef’s knife from the front yard across the street. The knife was photographed, seized and placed into evidence.
The video provided another view of how the confrontation unfolded.
It showed Bense waving and swinging a large chef-style knife while the man stood in the doorway between the kitchen and garage. Multiple children were present at the residence during portions of the confrontation.
Another person positioned himself between Bense and the man during portions of the argument.
At one point, Bense threw a knife with enough force for it to travel across the street and into the neighbor’s yard.
Additional knives were later observed scattered across the kitchen counters.
Bense was taken into custody and transported to the Lincoln County Jail.
During an interview later that evening, Bense provided her account of the confrontation. She acknowledged striking the man in the face, describing it as a punch.
She also acknowledged retrieving knives from the kitchen.
Bense described the first as a steak or chef’s knife and said she threw it with the intention of scaring the man. She also acknowledged handling a larger knife but said she put it down rather than throwing it at anyone.
The investigation included accounts from those involved, statements from witnesses, photographs of the man’s injuries, surveillance footage and physical evidence recovered from the neighboring property.
An arrest warrant was issued Aug. 10.
Judge Michael R. Jacobs set Bense’s bond at $10,000 cash only after finding that non-monetary conditions alone were not sufficient to secure her appearance and the safety of the community or others.
Bense remained in custody Tuesday as the case moved forward in Lincoln County Circuit Court.
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Story by: John Eads
Primary Sources
Lincoln County Sheriff's Office probable cause statement
Lincoln County Circuit Court records
Arrest warrant and bond order
Case.net — State of Missouri v. Brianna Marie Bense, Case No. 26L6-CR00545
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