Zachary Duncan, 24, of Catawissa has been charged with domestic assault after being pulled over in Eureka on I-44 near Hwy. W and Six Flags Road, Eureka Police report.
Duncan of the 300 block of Lakeview Drive in Franklin County was charged with domestic assault in the second degree, and a $50,000 bond was set, according to court records. The class C felony is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
Duncan is scheduled to appear at 9 a.m. March 9 in the Div. 31 St. Louis County Circuit Court before Judge Mary Elizabeth Ott for a criminal setting hearing, and at 10 a.m. that day for a bond-reduction hearing.
On Feb. 27, Duncan was driving a female friend’s 2010 Kia sedan when another motorist on I-44 saw the two fighting and called Eureka Police, Lt. David Wilson said.
When an officer pulled over the car, the 21-year-old Villa Ridge woman was visibly upset and said Duncan had assaulted her, Wilson said.
The incident reportedly started when Duncan had gone to buy a car with the woman’s help, but the two got into a disagreement that allegedly turned physical as they drove from Fenton to Eureka.
“They were driving back home on 44 and he got upset with her and began assaulting her,” Wilson alleged. “He punched her and then choked her. It started in Fenton and some of it happened on its way to Eureka. When they got into Eureka, he made some threats about killing her.”
Duncan is represented by attorney George J. Miller. St. Louis County assistant prosecuting attorney Stephen M. O’Brien is handling the case for the state.