A West Plains man is facing charges following an altercation September 10 in the 600 block of Missouri Avenue, according to a probable cause statement filed in Howell County Circuit Court. Levi Jean Hodgson is charged with unlawful use of a weapon.
According to the probable cause statement filed by West Plains Police Officer Daiman Meyer, Hodgson admitted during a post-Miranda interview that he possessed a firearm during the altercation.
Police say Hodgson told investigators that as he returned toward the confrontation, he removed the firearm from his rear waistband and moved it forward as he approached other individuals. The statement says Hodgson acknowledged that, given the circumstances and previous threats of violence, a reasonable person could have been placed in fear upon seeing him approach while removing a firearm.
Hodgson reportedly told police the firearm later fell from his pocket near the sidewalk. He denied intentionally pointing the firearm at anyone.
The probable cause statement also says Hodgson told investigators he had communicated to individuals inside a building that he wanted to fight them outside and acknowledged running toward the area of the altercation while armed.
According to Officer Meyer, witness statements and camera footage corroborated Hodgson’s possession and brandishing of a firearm.
The officer concluded that probable cause existed to believe Hodgson knowingly exhibited a firearm in an angry or threatening manner and placed another person in apprehension of immediate bodily harm while on a college campus.
