DOUGLAS COUNTY, Mo. – A 51-year-old man faces multiple allegations after authorities say a domestic dispute involving two firearms escalated into a physical altercation at a Douglas County residence Wednesday, Sept. 23.
Steven Blaine Wilson was arrested following an investigation by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. A probable cause statement lists allegations of unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of fourth-degree domestic assault and two counts of armed criminal action.
According to the probable cause statement filed by Deputy Shane Harden, Douglas County dispatch received a 911 call at approximately 8:48 p.m. reporting Wilson had pulled a gun on someone during an altercation at a residence on State Highway U near Mansfield. Dispatch was also told a fist fight had occurred and Wilson remained in possession of firearms while sitting in a vehicle in the driveway.
Harden reported that when he arrived, several people were standing in the yard and Wilson appeared to be bleeding from his left cheek. Wilson initially denied that a firearm had been pulled and described the incident as a disagreement. Another person told the deputy the argument began over Wilson’s alleged alcohol consumption and eventually became physical.
Investigators were told a one-year-old child and a 6-year-old child had been removed from the residence and placed in a vehicle as the verbal dispute unfolded. A witness told Harden that Wilson later retrieved a firearm and pointed it at another person before the physical altercation began.
Another person interviewed at the scene alleged Wilson had pulled a gun and appeared as though he was going to shoot the other man. A separate witness told the deputy she and Wilson had argued about whether he had been drinking and said she later collected several firearms and placed them in other locations.
According to Harden, a witness also showed him video of part of the confrontation. The deputy reported the video showed Wilson seated in his truck as people said he had pulled a gun. Harden wrote that Wilson then exited the truck, appeared to push a woman near her head and neck and struck a man in the head with a closed fist before a physical altercation followed.
Wilson was arrested based on the circumstances and witness accounts. After being advised of his rights, Wilson denied pointing a firearm at anyone. He told Harden a .22-caliber firearm had remained in the cupholder of his truck and said he had been attempting to leave and de-escalate the situation before two men came at him.
Deputies reported locating a loaded Taurus PT-22 .22-caliber handgun in the front passenger seat of another vehicle and a loaded Sig Sauer SP2022 9mm handgun in the cupholder of Wilson’s truck. A witness identified the Taurus as appearing to be the weapon that had been pointed during the confrontation.
The affidavit alleges the two children were inside the residence during the verbal confrontation and later inside a vehicle parked approximately 30 yards from where the physical altercation and alleged firearm incident occurred. Harden also obtained a copy of video recorded during the incident for the case file.
Wilson was transported to the Douglas County Jail and initially placed on a 24-hour investigative hold. The probable cause statement notes he had no prior arrests for similar or violent offenses.
Court records show a warrant was issued Sept. 24 after Associate Circuit Judge Elizabeth A. Bock found probable cause that a felony had been committed. The warrant was initially issued with no bond, with bond to be addressed at a hearing. Wilson was arraigned later that day, and the warrant was served by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office at 2:57 p.m.
A bond reduction hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, before Bock. Another hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 8.
All charges are allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
