New Missouri State Highway Patrol Troopers assigned
Four new troopers have been assigned to Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop D.
Trooper Eric Leek of Carthage, MO (pictured) has been assigned to Zone 14 which serves Barry County. His field training officer will be Corporal Braiden Vaught, and his immediate supervisor will be Sergeant Joel Givens. He graduated from Carthage High School in 2006. From 2007 to 2019, Trooper Leek served in the United States Marine Corp. Trooper Leek is married and has three children.
Trooper Kyle Atkisson of Grovespring, MO has been assigned to Zone 16, which serves Dallas and Hickory counties. His field training officer will be Corporal Andy Dill, and his immediate supervisor will be Sergeant Robert Schafer. Trooper Atkisson is a 2018 graduate of Hartville High School in Hartville, MO. He later graduated from the College of the Ozarks in 2022. He received his Bachelor of Science in criminal justice. Before joining the Patrol, he was employed at Still Fire Services LLC. in Grovespring, MO, as a fire hose tester.
Trooper Blake Cook of Farmington, MO has been assigned to Zone 10 which serves Webster County. His field training officer will be Trooper Nathan Vines, and his immediate supervisor will be Sergeant Tim Mosley. In 2022, Trooper Cook joined the Missouri Army National Guard and is still serving. He was previously employed as an armored cash transport officer for Gardaworld in Springfield, MO.
Trooper Nels Fry of Waynesville, MO has been assigned to Zone 3 which serves Polk County. His field training officer will be Trooper Brandon Gunby, and his immediate supervisor will be Sergeant Sean Long. He graduated from Waynesville High School in 2019. Trooper Fry joined the Missouri Army National Guard in 2019. He previously worked for Bass Pro Shops as a team leader in Springfield, MO.
The four new troopers are members of the 124th Recruit Class of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The 124th Recruit Class began training on July 1, 2025. The new troopers will report to duty in their respective zones on January 5, 2026.
Photos of the new troopers can be found with this news release on the Patrol’s website.
