A homeless Columbia man charged with yelling at and chasing joggers last Sunday evening at Stephens Lake park is now charged with felony harassment, accused of chasing a woman and her two daughters into the Broadway Medical Plaza.
Boone County prosecutors have charged 45-year-old Jesse Allen Howe with first degree harassment, which is a class E felony.
The Columbia Police Department’s two-page probable cause statement says the alleged incident at the Broadway Medical Plaza happened at about 8 am on July 10. The woman tells detectives that she was traveling in her car for a medical appointment when Howe jumped out of bushes and tried to violently stop her vehicle. She says she had to swerve to avoid running him over. The woman says Howe saw where she parked and chased her and the two daughters into the Broadway Medical Plaza, saying he spoke in a “demon-like” voice during the chase. Court documents say video surveillance shows Howe following the three into Boone Medical Plaza.
Howe has a lengthy criminal record in several counties across Missouri, and has served time in federal prison, according to court documents. He’s scheduled to appear again in Boone County Circuit Court on Thursday.
