Jerome Kennedy McLean III, 32, of Festus was recently arrested after being charged for allegedly assaulting a Crystal City Police officer. McLean is accused of choking the officer after being told to leave the Walmart store, 650 S. Truman Blvd., because he was barred from entering the store, according to court documents.
McLean was arrested on Feb. 21, and as of Monday, he was being held on a $10,000 bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court records said.
He was charged on Feb. 3 with felony third-degree assault of a special victim, misdemeanor resisting arrest and misdemeanor first-degree trespassing. He also is considered a prior offender after being convicted of two separate felony possession of controlled substance charges in June 2017 and July 2018, court documents show.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, McLean entered Walmart on July 12, 2025, after previously being charged with trespassing at the store. He refused to leave the store after the Crystal City Police officer instructed him to leave.
McLean then allegedly placed the officer in a chokehold. The officer was treated at Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Crystal City for a strained neck muscle, the report said.