Boone County landowner appeals civil contempt judgment

A Missouri appeals court will hear a Boone County man’s appeal of his contempt of court judgment at the University of Missouri School of Law on Tuesday.

The court will hear arguments in four cases in a docket that will begin at 1:30 p.m.. They’ll also discuss the court system and take questions from the audience.

One of the four cases is that of Seth Reynolds, who was held in contempt by a circuit court for not demolishing a garage on his Creasy Springs Road property.

Documents said Reynolds built a building, fence and satellite dish on his property but violated Boone County zoning ordinances. It also intruded on Boone County’s right-of-way.

However, the documents show Reynolds claimed he did not have the money to move the structure or tear it down.

The circuit court told Reynolds to move the building within 60 days of the judgment or he would go to jail, according to documents. Reynolds appealed the judgment to the Missouri Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case.

The case records show Reynolds went to jail from Dec. 13 to Dec. 24. After Dec. 24, the court ruled Reynolds would be committed from 8 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. each day until the case is resolved.

Look for updates to this developing story.