Court documents outline numerous prior charges of property damage against a Columbia man who is now charged with throwing a Molotov cocktail toward the Boone County Courthouse’s front entrance.
The incident happened at about noon on Tuesday, and the suspect is now jailed without bond. Boone County prosecutors have charged 39-year-old Nicholas Allen Walters with four felonies: first degree arson, armed criminal action, resisting arrest and possession of a controlled substance.
Court documents say Walters ran away from court marshals after he threw the device, and then allegedly swung a three-foot chain around in a threatening manner toward the officers. While there were no serious injuries in Tuesday’s incident, the Columbia Police Department’s two-page probable cause statement says one person leaving the courthouse almost caught on fire when the Molotov cocktail was thrown. Court documents say the area where the person had been standing “erupted into flames.” Court documents say the suspect threw a glass jar that contained paper and gasoline.
Boone County prosecutor Roger Johnson has filed a motion with the court, outlining Walters’ lengthy criminal record. In addition to numerous prior convictions, Walters has five current cases. Prosecutor Johnson’s motion notes Walters is charged with throwing a rock through a gas station’s window, yelling at cars at a Columbia intersection and pulling vehicle handles. He’s also charged with banging on the windows of a gas station and yelling at customers.
