Coty Mitchell, 36, of House Springs is facing felony charges for reportedly entering a High Ridge home and pointing a gun at someone inside the house. He also allegedly cashed and deposited forged checks at banks in High Ridge, court documents show.
On. Oct. 31, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Mitchell for first-degree burglary, a class B felony; unlawful possession of a firearm, a class D felony; unlawful use of a weapon, a class E felony; and armed criminal action, an unclassified felony. On Oct. 25, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged him with three counts of forgery, each one a class D felony, according to court records.
A class B felony is punishable by five to 15 years in prison, and a class D felony carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison. A class E felony is punishable by up to our years in prison, and an unclassified felony carries a penalty of three to 15 years in prison.
On Monday, Mitchell was being held without bond at the Jefferson County Jail. A preliminary hearing for the charges filed on Oct. 31 is scheduled for Dec. 10, according to court documents.
On July 18, Mitchell reportedly entered a home in the 3000 block of Rock Creek Road in High Ridge unlawfully, and when he encountered someone who lives in the house, he allegedly pointed a small black handgun at the person before running into nearby woods, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
Deputies found a gun in a culvert near where Mitchell was seen fleeing into the wooded area. Investigators also allegedly found Mitchell’s fingerprints near the scene, and his cell phone records placed him within 300 meters of the home, the report said.
Mitchell was arrested on Aug. 30 for an outstanding warrant. Phone call records from the jail allegedly indicated Mitchell discussed a burglary involving the gun that was found in the woods, according to the report.
The three forgery charges stem from three checks Mitchell allegedly deposited in February 2023 and March 2023.
According to the probable-cause statement, he deposited a $2,000 check on Feb. 9, 2023, at a First Community Credit Union ATM, 2700 Ridge Point Drive, in High Ridge. The funds were deposited into an account that did not belong to Mitchell, and the alleged victim does not know Mitchell.
He allegedly cashed an $800 check on March 7, 2023, and a $1,000 check on March 11, 2023. Both those checks were cashed at the U.S. Bank, 2750 High Ridge Blvd., in High Ridge, the report said.
When law enforcement officers interviewed Mitchell on Jan. 31, he initially told investigators he did not know about the checks. However, he eventually said the signatures on the cashed checks were his and that he would “own up” to cashing them, adding that he did not intend rip off anyone, according to the report.
Mitchell also allegedly told investigators he was given the $2,000 check that he deposited at the ATM by someone else, and he believed he was making a deposit for the person who gave him the check because that person had been paid for work done for the alleged victim, the report said.