FORMER PLATTE CITY PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR JAILED
The now-former public works director for the City of Platte City once again is in trouble with the law.
Bradford S. Wallace, 41, was arrested after a nearly four hour armed barricade situation at a residence in the 1600 block of Hwy. 371 near Tracy.
At about 9:50 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 11, the Platte County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a domestic disturbance with an armed barricaded subject at that location. The stand-off lasted until approximately 1:40 p.m.
Authorities say during the stand-off a single gunshot was heard coming from inside the residence. Wallace was eventually taken into custody without injury and was transported to an area hospital for evaluation.
A 38-year-old female was evaluated by EMS on the scene and then interviewed by detectives, authorities said.
Major Erik Holland told The Landmark that after initially being taken to the hospital for evaluation, Wallace later was booked into the Platte County Jail. He later was taken to the hospital a second time.
Court records indicate he is being held without bond.
On Tuesday, the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office filed two felony charges against Wallace. He is facing charges of harassment in the first degree and armed criminal action.
According to allegations in court documents, Wallace “engaged in an act with the purpose to cause emotional distress” to a victim, the 38-year-old woman who was inside the home with him. The charge alleges that Wallace pointed a gun at the female victim, causing emotional distress.
Allegations contained in a statement of probable cause indicate Monday’s incident began with Platte County Sheriff’s Department deputies responding to the residence regarding a “check the welfare.” Authorities had received a call reporting that Wallace was “all coked out” and had a gun.
Deputies knocked on the door and no one answered and continued to announce their presence but received no response. Authorities “had several contacts” with Wallace via phone asking him to come out and to let the victim out of the house.”
A crisis negotiation team soon began to negotiate with Wallace, court documents say, asking him to let the woman go and for him to come out of the home as well. Neither Wallace nor the victim appeared.
At about 1:08 p.m., more than three hours after police had arrived on scene, authorities heard what sounded like a gunshot from within the residence. At 1:32 p.m., both Wallace and the victim “began walking to patrol vehicles from the south entrance of the home,” according to court documents.
Both parties were placed into custody. According to court documents, as the woman was being searched, she made the statement to deputies: “Are you going to protect me, he put a gun to my head.”
The female was transported to the sheriff’s office for an interview. The female told investigators that several days prior Wallace had fired several rounds from his gun into the ceiling of the basement.
According to court documents, the victim told police that “Brad is a bad alcoholic, drinking in excess every day and he will use cocaine and pills if he gets a hold of it.” She told investigators that Wallace had fired around three shots into a closet believing that there was an intruder in the house.
According to court documents, the victim told police that earlier in the day Wallace began to ask her about a boyfriend being at their house. She told Wallace there was no one else in the house, but the victim told police Wallace “spiraled” from there. She told police Wallace shot the wall a few times and stated he was going to kill “him.” She said Wallace was convinced someone was in the house and would not believe otherwise, according to the statement of probable cause.
The victim told detectives that at one point on Monday Wallace had her get on her knees while he stood over her and pointed a revolver at her head while telling her to tell her boyfriend to come out of the closet, according to the allegations in court documents. The victim told investigators she would not tell Wallace there was someone in the closet when there was not, according to court documents.
According to court documents, the victim was asked by investigators whether Wallace had said he was going to shoot or kill her today, and the victim said Wallace told her he was going to kill her. She said Wallace had shot the TV at some point after law enforcement had arrived on the scene. Police noted there was the sound of a gunshot from inside the residence at 1:08 p.m.
According to the allegations, the victim told investigators of several incidents in which Wallace discharged a gun in the house and stated Wallace’s behavior changed three weeks ago. According to court documents, the victim told detectives that Wallace had physically assaulted her three times in the past three weeks. The victim told investigators she did not call law enforcement because Wallace had told her he was friends with local law enforcement and she was concerned about the fallout.
According to court papers, while processing the scene detectives located two loaded 12 gauge shotguns, several other handguns, revolvers and ammunition. Detectives say bullet holes were located in the ceiling, an exterior glass door, TV, wall painting, chest of drawers, and the wall. The bullet holes were located in the basement bedroom, the same bedroom that Wallace and the victim walked out of after surrendering to law enforcement.
In the statement of probable cause, Platte County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Katherine Smith says “Wallace has criminal history that includes assault and property damage. Brad Wallace put the victim, local law enforcement, and the public at risk by firing weapons in an unsafe manner.”
Holland said the sheriff’s office received assistance at the standoff from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Platte City Police Department.
PREVIOUS TROUBLE
Back in August, Wallace pled guilty to a charge of misdemeanor assault in the fourth degree in connection to an assault that occurred inside a Platte City restaurant in May.
Wallace avoided jail time in that case, receiving a suspended imposition of a jail sentence and instead was placed on two years of supervised probation. Wallace was also ordered to complete drug and/or alcohol treatment as directed, anger control treatment within a year, have no contact with the victim, submit to random urinalysis testing, and pay restitution in the amount of $970.20.
He was serving as public works director for the City of Platte City at the time of that assault, and the city continued to employ Wallace in that position after his guilty plea and sentencing.
Wallace eventually resigned his position in mid-November, but the resignation, according to an account distributed to the media by Marji Gehr, city administrator, had nothing to do with his guilt in the assault case.
Gehr in mid-November told The Landmark that “Brad requested and the city fully supported his use of accrued leave time” so that he could spend time with a relative who had “received a terminal (medical) diagnosis in mid-October.”
When that leave time was exhausted, Wallace submitted his resignation and did not return to work, according to Gehr.
According to court documents viewed by The Landmark, the victim in the May assault told authorities that he was eating dinner with some friends at a restaurant when he was attacked by Wallace. The victim told police Wallace struck him in the face, causing a large laceration on the right side of his forehead. According to the probable cause statement, the victim said the laceration required eight stitches.
Deputy Matthew Knabe wrote in the probable cause statement that “in several of the photos prior to medical treatment, the approximate one inch gash appeared to expose the victim’s skull.”
Video footage was provided by the restaurant, according to court documents.
“The video showed the victim, Brad, and four witnesses at the same table eating. Brad gets up from his chair and punches the victim in the face with a closed fist. The victim stumbles backward and Brad follows him, continuously punching him in the face three more times,” the sheriff’s deputy wrote in the probable cause statement.
The deputy wrote that he attempted to identify several of the witnesses at the table. “When I spoke with one of the witnesses, she stated she did not want to provide anything other than her address for the report. A second witness provided a statement,” according to the deputy.
According to court documents, the statement by the witness alleged the following:
“During dinner (the victim) made a comment to Brad about the salsa being weak. Brad grabbed a salt shaker (thick glass) from the table and struck (the victim) several times.”
According to court documents, Wallace declined to provide a statement to authorities.
“I believe due to the severity of the injuries and nature of the incident he is a risk to the public,” the sheriff’s deputy wrote in the probable cause statement seeking the charge.
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