Man arrested for 2018 alleged ax attack in Columbia

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A prosecutor charged a Columbia man last week with assault after a 2018 ax attack.

Keiran Butler was charged Friday with second-degree assault. According to court documents, the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab analyzed blood evidence from the scene and found a DNA profile matching Butler.

The 72-year-old victim told police that a man assaulted him with an ax on Oct. 24, 2018, while checking out a noise in the man's backyard, according to the probable cause statement.

The court document said that the victim defended himself by punching the suspect and hitting him with a flashlight on the head. The victim was able to get back into his home before the suspect left the backyard, according to court documents.

The victim had multiple scratches and scrapes with blood on his clothes when police arrived, court documents reveal.

Butler is in the Boone County Jail after his bond was denied.

Butler had a docket hearing scheduled for Sept. 29 and a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 18.