Charles Raymond Lanham Jr., 47, of Arnold has been accused of threatening a Black woman outside of the Schnucks grocery store, 3900 Vogel Road, in Arnold. He allegedly yelled racial slurs at the woman and another person and threatened to kill the woman, according to court documents.
He was arrested on Aug. 8, and as of Monday, Aug. 11, he was being held on a $7,500 bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court records said.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on Aug. 5 charged Lanham with harassment motivated by discrimination to frighten or disturb another person, a class D felony. The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office asked the court to consider the charge a Class C felony because he is a persistent offender, court documents show.
A class C felony is punishable by three to 10 years in prison, while a class D felony carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison.
The alleged victim reported the incident on Feb. 24. She said on Feb. 18, she and another Black person were at the grocery store when Lanham started yelling racial slurs, according to the case’s probable-cause statement.
She told investigators Lanham also clenched his fist and appeared to be ready to punch her at one point, the report said.
Lanham has been convicted of at least six prior felonies in Jefferson and St. Louis counties, according to court papers.
In January 2017, he was found guilty of possession of a controlled substance, second-degree burglary, receiving stolen property and first-degree tampering in Jefferson County, court records said.
He also was found guilty of possession of a controlled substance in St. Louis County in May 2017 and September 2023, court documents show.