Jefferson City man accused of pointing gun at minor, laser pointer at cop
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Jefferson City man has been arrested and charged after police say he pointed a gun at a minor and a laser pointer at a cop on Thursday.
Christian Prody, 20, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and second-degree harassment, a misdemeanor. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. An arraignment was held on Monday and Prody pleaded not guilty by video from the jail. A counsel status hearing was scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday.
The probable cause statement says the minor victim and another person described as a witness drove toward a smoke shop around 7 p.m. Thursday in the 1000 block of Jefferson Street. The pair noticed Prody in the parking lot. The victim claimed he had prior “disagreements” with Prody and that Prody had previously pulled out a gun and pointed it at him, police wrote in the statement.
The victim and witness decided to keep driving around until they did not see Prody in that parking lot, the statement says. Prody allegedly went across the street and pointed a gun at the vehicle containing the victim and witness, the statement says.
The victim’s mother allegedly told police that Prody had started texting the victim threatening messages while the officer spoke with them, the statement says.
After the officer stepped out of the home, he noticed a green laser being pointed at him from a white SUV parked down the road, the statement says.
The officer performed a traffic stop on the vehicle and Prody allegedly admitted to pulling out the gun at the smoke shop and using the laser pointer “to scare the Victim, making him think he was pointing a gun at him,” court documents say. The officer found the laser pointer and gun in the vehicle.