Ex-MoDOT safety specialist gets probation on reduced charge in road rage case

EDITOR'S NOTE: Harry Adrian IV is no longer working for MoDOT.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The former state safety coordinator for the Missouri Department of Transportation, who was accused of pulling out a gun during a road-rage incident in September, pleaded guilty Tuesday in an agreement with the state.

Harry Adrian IV, of Tuscumbia, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving. He had been charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon; his charge was reduced in December.

"It was from the start, the situation where we knew that the individuals involved were either lying or just wrong," said Ben Faber, Adrian's lawyer. "It doesn't really matter to us which one. What we know is that Mr. Adrian did not do what they said he did, as he's maintained from the beginning."

The probable cause statement says Adrian was accused by two people of pulling out a gun and pointing it at them during a road-rage incident around 3 p.m. Sept. 22. A deputy wrote that he stopped Adrian’s vehicle while he was following the alleged victim’s vehicle in the 3000 block of Highway 54 East in Cole County.

Victim impact statements were read in court Tuesday from William Tannehill and Andres Rios.

Both men maintained their claims that Adrian pointed a gun at them while in his car during a road rage incident, stating Adrian's actions felt intentional.

"It felt like we were being hunted," Tannehill's statement read. "He cut us off repeatedly, followed us closely, and married a mirror to every attempt we made to defend ourselves."

Tannehill wrote that they tried to drive away from Adrian, but their attempts were unsuccessful.

"No matter what I did, changing speed, changing lanes, the defendant stayed with us," Tannehill wrote. "The situation became increasingly dangerous and there was no safe exit. I believed that we could be shot or forced off the road. That fear was real and immediate."

Both men wrote about their disappointment with Adrian's charge being reduced. Rios said the move by the prosecutor's office made them feel dismissed.

"Learning that this incident had been reduced to a minor traffic offense was devastating. It made me feel as though the terror I experienced and the lasting emotional harm was being dismissed as insignificant," Rios said.

In a statement to ABC 17 News, Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson said his office condemns any acts or threats of violence, especially those involving weapons, but that the evidence was lacking in this case.

"As prosecutors, we are required to prove criminal cases beyond a reasonable doubt, and that is an extremely high hurdle to clear. In this case, we obtained further evidence after the initial filing of charges that created doubt to the point that we were unable to proceed with the prosecution on charges of assault and unlawful use of a weapon," Thompson wrote.

Tannehill said in his statement to the court that he and Rios provided a photo to officials of Adrian's license plate taken during the incident that showed him holding a phone, but that there was more to it.

When he was pulled over by deputies on the day of the incident, Adrian allegedly told law enforcement that he was involved in a road-rage incident, but claimed he held a cellphone instead of a gun, the probable cause statement says. Deputies found a handgun in Adrian’s Ford F-250, the statement says.

"We never claimed that the photograph showed the gun. The firearm was displayed earlier in the incident, before that photograph was taken," Tannehill wrote. "I was not given an opportunity to explain how the photograph, the alleged statement and the firearm fit together as part of this escalating incident."

Tannehill and Rios believe that Adrian received preferential treatment.

"The outcome feels disconnected from both the seriousness of the conduct and the experience of the victims. I submit the statements so the court understands not only what occurred that day, but also the profound concern I have about how this case has been handled," Tannehill wrote.

Faber said he was confident the case would have the outcome it did.

"Whether it was after a jury trial or protracted litigation, we were confident that the case was going to be that the gun charge was going to be dismissed," Faber said.

Faber noted inconsistencies in Tannehill's and Rios' story.

"They made a police report, and it appears that they dug in their heels. They couldn't keep their facts straight over time, or at the time, but that's fine, everyone's entitled to their opinion. Everyone's entitled to be wrong," Faber said.

Adrian will have one year of court-supervised probation.