Man accused of multiple cases of sexual misconduct won’t face felony charges

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man accused in three separate instances of sexual misconduct in Columbia wont face felony charges, prosecutors said.

According to a Monday news release, Columbia police arrested Michael Shields, 45, of Columbia in connection with two incidents. Police say the first incident occurred in the 3600 block of Rangeline Street on Dec. 11, 2024.

The second allegedly happened on Feb. 28 in the 1900 block of North Providence Road.

Shields was charged Monday with first-degree sexual misconduct, a misdemeanor in connection with February's incident. He was also charged in February with first-degree sexual misconduct for the alleged December incident. A probable cause statement says in both cases, Shields followed women around in a store while masturbating.

According to Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson, Shields was charged Monday with a class A misdemeanor due to him having a history of sexual misconduct. He's currently being held in the Boone County Jail without bond on that charge. The maximum punishment in that case is a year in jail. However, Shields is charged with a class B misdemeanor in connection with December's case and is being held on a $5,000 bond for that charge.

Johnson said Shields will not face felony charges due to Missouri's law only allowing that to happen when the victim is a child.

"There are some circumstances where it could be a felony, depending on where they do it," Johnson said. "So, for example, if somebody's trespassed from a store and goes in and commits a crime, it can be a burglary."

A man who wished to remain anonymous due to the nature of the story told ABC 17 News he was renting out a booth in Itchy's Flea Market on Friday when he saw the man following a woman around. He said the victim then told employees at the store she was being followed, which is when he said Shields ran out of the store.

According to the man, Shields returned back to the store the following day and was acting strange.

"For the safety of the community as a whole, especially women and also men....if you've got somebody that's that bold and doesn't you know, have any fear to come back the next day, I mean it needs to really be taken seriously and not just a slap on the hand or something like that," he said.

Shields faces up to a year in jail if convicted and likely won't be let out on bond at any point, according to former Cole County prosecutor Bill Tackett.

Tackett said cases involving sex overall are built in terms of laws that can be placed in different spots. The cases can possibly be turned into different cases that can be increased to a felony by using the same conduct for a different crime. Tackett said it's likely in this case, it fit a misdemeanor.

"I think the legislature in looking at this felt like for this conduct, one year in jail was a lot," Tackett said. "So, it is up to a year in jail that's available and I think our judges under these circumstances would certainly incarcerate them."

Online court records show Shields was also charged with first-degree sexual misconduct in January 2024 after he allegedly started masturbating while talking to a victim at Indian Hills Park in April 2023.