Mark Christopher Caviecy, 44, of Fenton has been charged with two felonies after an Arnold Police officer was injured while trying to arrest him at Home Depot, 3865 Vogel Road, in Arnold, according to court documents.
Caviecy was arrested at about 3:30 p.m. Jan. 25 in the parking lot after he allegedly tussled with two Arnold Police officers inside the store, and one officer fell and injured his left knee during the altercation, authorities reported.
Arnold Police discovered Caviecy was inside the store after officers checked on a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer in the parking lot that had only one license plate. The plate was registered to a Chrysler vehicle, the report said.
A 43-year-old St. Louis woman was in the passenger seat and told the officers her husband, Caviecy, was inside the store, according to the report.
Caviecy was wanted by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant for first-degree tampering, a class D felony, connected to an incident in April 2020, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
They also found out the Sheriff’s Office wanted the woman on a warrant for driving without a license, Detective Lt. Jason Valentine said.
While the officers were arresting the woman, two other officers were called to the store because of a report of a suspicious person inside, who turned out to be Caviecy, the probable-cause statement said.
Those two officers found Caviecy inside the store and when they tried to arrest him, he allegedly struggled with them and was able to get away. During the struggle, one of the officers fell, the report said.
Caviecy then reportedly ran towards the doors at the Home Depot’s garden center entrance, where he collided with one of the uniformed detectives who had spotted the Trailblazer. Caviecy got away from the detective, but the officer who did not fall in the initial struggle was able to catch up to Caviecy and physically restrain him in the parking lot, the probable-cause statement said.
Caviecy and the woman were taken to the Arnold Police Station, where they were booked and the woman was released.
Caviecy was taken to the Jefferson County Jail after being charged with assault and resisting arrest, according to court documents.
The injured officer was taken to St. Luke’s Urgent Care in Arnold, where he was diagnosed with a sprain or tear in his left knee. He was reevaluated on Jan. 28, and the injury was not as severe as first thought, so he has been cleared to return to work, Valentine said.
Caviecy was charged Jan. 26 with second-degree assault of a special victim, a class B felony punishable by five to 15 years in prison, and resisting arrest, a class E felony that carries a penalty of up to four years in prison.
He was being held Monday (Feb. 1) in the Jefferson County Jail without bond, court records said.
Along with the tampering charge from an incident in April 2020 in Jefferson County, Caviecy also is facing at least two other felony charges, both for domestic assault stemming from incidents in February 2020 and June 2019, both in Jefferson County, according to court records.
Caviecy previously pleaded guilty to at least one felony. In March 2016, he was convicted for felony stealing in St. Louis County, and he was sentenced to three years in prison. The sentence was suspended, 0and he was placed on five years’ probation, court documents show.