Moberly man accused of harassing prosecutor in two of his court cases
MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Moberly man was charged with a felony after court documents say he tried to harass the assistant prosecutor in two of his court cases.
Zachary Rice was charged on Tuesday with tampering with a judicial officer. A warrant was requested in the case.
According to court documents, he called an assistant prosecutor with the initials RJB, who is said to be a prosecutor in two of his court cases in Randolph County. Casenet indicates Assistant Prosecutor Randall John Barron is working those cases.
In one of the cases, Rice is charged with third-degree domestic assault, a felony. A hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday. In another case, Rice is charged with four misdemeanors: Resisting arrest, animal abuse, reckless driving and driving while revoked.
According to court documents, Rice allegedly called Barron on his personal phone number on Jan. 13. Rice had allegedly asked if Barron was from Moberly, when Barron asked who was calling, Rice allegedly replied with “Someone who’s not happy with you,” court documents say. Barron gave instructions on how to file a formal complaint and Rice abruptly hung up, the statement says.
Court documents say there was no reasonable or lawful reason for Rice to contact the prosecutor on his personal phone. “The call seemed to serve no legitimate purpose other than to intimidate by causing emotional distress,” court documents say. Barron allegedly said the call was unsettling, court documents say.
A Randolph County Sheriff’s deputy contacted Rice, the probable cause statement says. The deputy wrote that Rice had a great amount of hostility towards Barron. Rice allegedly admitted to making the call after finding Barron’s cell phone number in an internet search, the statement says. He allegedly told the deputy that he called about his case because Barron had not called Rice’s attorney, the statement says.
