A 44-year-old Pevely man has been charged with five felonies after he allegedly shot at Pevely Police officers who were investigating a report of domestic violence. No one was injured in the shooting, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Jason Gene Phillips was charged with two counts of first-degree assault, each one a class A felony punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison; two counts of armed criminal action, each one an unclassified felony that carries a penalty of three to 15 years in prison; and second-degree domestic assault, a class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison.
He was being held Monday, Nov. 21, in the Jefferson County Jail on no bond.
On Nov. 18, Pevely Police officers went to a home on Old State Road South after a woman went to the Police Department and reported that Phillips assaulted her in a home the two were sharing. She told police Phillips became angry when she asked him to move out of the home, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
She said Phillips punched her in the face several times and choked her with both hands. He also reportedly threatened to kill her while he held a shotgun. The woman had a laceration on her cheek and red marks on her neck, the report said.
The woman eventually was able to flee the home with her daughter, according to the report.
Three officers went to the home, and two of them found Phillips in the basement holding a shotgun. When the officers told him to put down the gun, he complied, the report said.
However, Phillips did not follow other commands the officers gave, and they used pepper spray in an effort to subdue him. Phillips then picked up the shotgun, and when he turned toward the officers, one of the officers shot at Phillips, according to the report.
Phillips then allegedly shot at the officers, the report said.
The Sheriff’s Office SWAT team responded to the home after the gunfire and took Phillips into custody without further incident, according to the report.