Police arrest man who allegedly broke Hy-Vee window with knife, threatened management

UPDATE 8:07am: Columbia police say they arrested 25-year-old Robert Hester after he allegedly threw a knife at a Columbia Hy-Vee and broke a window.

Police say officers responded to a vandalism report at the Hy-Vee on Conley Road Monday around 2:00pm.

They say witnesses saw Hester throwing a folding knife at the window of the grocery store. Officers say the knife broke the window, which is apparently valued at about $1,000.

Police say Hester ran from the scene after the window broke and Hy-Vee management chased him.

Management was apparently able to confront Hester who they say then kept reaching in a red bag and saying “he would do it”.

Officers say management feared Hester had a gun in the bag.

They say Hester then ran into a business called Oasis located in the 2600 block of East Broadway Street to escape. Police say they were able to arrest Hester inside Oasis at 2:45 pm.

Officers say they found a handgun inside Hester’s red bag.

Hester was arrested on suspicion of armed criminal action, property damage, assault, and unlawful use of weapons.

ORIGINAL: A Columbia man was behind bars Tuesday after police arrested him on suspicion of weapons and assault charges.

Public arrest records show police booked 25-year-old Robert Hester in the Boone County Jail around 7:12 Monday night.

They show he was arrested on suspicion of armed criminal action, assault, property damage,and unlawful use of a weapon.

The arrest records shows police arrested Hester in the 1700 block of Hanover Boulevard. Police dispatch records also show officers responded to that same block Monday morning for reports of a suspicious person.

ABC 17 News has reached out to police to find out what led up to Hester’s arrest. We’ll update this story as we learn more.