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A Newburg man remained in the Phelps County Jail on Monday night following an early morning arrest in which Phelps County Sheriff’s deputies say he fired a shotgun at his wife at their home.
Charges against Harry Leech, 51, of Newburg, were filed by Phelps County Prosecutor John Beger just before 5 p.m. Monday. Leech is facing charges of first-degree domestic assault, a Class B felony; armed criminal action, an unclassified felony and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, a Class C felony.
No documentation indicates the alleged victim was injured.
According to court documents, PCSD received a call from the couple’s home at 741 Highway T around 7 a.m. Monday.
Deputy C. Butler wrote in the probable cause statement that he first contacted the woman when he arrived at the home. She told Butler the pair had been arguing when she chose to leave the home and heard a gunshot behind her.
She then told Butler, as documented in his probable cause statement, that she looked behind her to see Leech reloading a shotgun.
Officers found a shot gun on the living room wall during investigation of the incident.
“Leech confessed to me he became very angry and shot the gun inside the residence in the same direction as (the alleged victim),” Butler wrote in the statement. “Leech stated after (she) left the residence he hid the guns in the woods outside the residence.”
Documents do not say if deputies were able to recover the guns, and calls placed to PCSD by Rolla Daily News staff Monday requesting additional information were not returned.
According to the felony complaint written by Beger, the child endangerment charge stems from the belief by law enforcement that a child under 17 years old was in the residence at the time of the incident.
“The defendant knowingly acted in a manner that created a substantial risk to the life, body and health of ... a child less than 17 years old, by firing a shotgun in his direction,” Beger wrote.
Leech is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond.
If convicted of all three charges he faces up to 22 years in prison.
A Newburg man remained in the Phelps County Jail on Monday night following an early morning arrest in which Phelps County Sheriff’s deputies say he fired a shotgun at his wife at their home.
Charges against Harry Leech, 51, of Newburg, were filed by Phelps County Prosecutor John Beger just before 5 p.m. Monday. Leech is facing charges of first-degree domestic assault, a Class B felony; armed criminal action, an unclassified felony and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, a Class C felony.
No documentation indicates the alleged victim was injured.
According to court documents, PCSD received a call from the couple’s home at 741 Highway T around 7 a.m. Monday.
Deputy C. Butler wrote in the probable cause statement that he first contacted the woman when he arrived at the home. She told Butler the pair had been arguing when she chose to leave the home and heard a gunshot behind her.
She then told Butler, as documented in his probable cause statement, that she looked behind her to see Leech reloading a shotgun.
Officers found a shot gun on the living room wall during investigation of the incident.
“Leech confessed to me he became very angry and shot the gun inside the residence in the same direction as (the alleged victim),” Butler wrote in the statement. “Leech stated after (she) left the residence he hid the guns in the woods outside the residence.”
Documents do not say if deputies were able to recover the guns, and calls placed to PCSD by Rolla Daily News staff Monday requesting additional information were not returned.
According to the felony complaint written by Beger, the child endangerment charge stems from the belief by law enforcement that a child under 17 years old was in the residence at the time of the incident.
“The defendant knowingly acted in a manner that created a substantial risk to the life, body and health of ... a child less than 17 years old, by firing a shotgun in his direction,” Beger wrote.
Leech is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond.
If convicted of all three charges he faces up to 22 years in prison.
