Zachary Steven Moss, 29, of Hillsboro has been charged with three felonies and three misdemeanors after he allegedly used a ladder to enter a High Ridge apartment and threaten three people with a gun, according to court documents.
Moss on Aug. 27 was charged with first-degree burglary, a Class B felony; unlawful use of a weapon, a class E felony; armed criminal action, an unclassified felony; and third-degree kidnapping and two counts of fourth-degree domestic assault, which are class A misdemeanors. As of Aug. 29, he was being held without bail at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court records show.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, Moss on Aug. 26 used a ladder to climb to a second-story balcony and allegedly entered an apartment on Emerson Road in High Ridge. He then allegedly started cursing at a woman who was getting out of the shower and trapped her in the bathroom.
Another woman, a man and three children who were younger than 13 years old also were in the apartment at the time, the report said.
The man attempted to get Moss to calm down. However, Moss repeatedly said he would be staying in the apartment, and he then pulled out a gun, according to the report.
The man and one of the women left after Moss pulled out the gun. The woman who was in the bathroom lunged at Moss in an attempt to get the gun, but she was unable to get it, the report said.
The woman was able to flee the apartment, and Moss also left, according to the report.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office had been called about the disturbance, and deputy saw Moss driving away in a 2014 GMC Sierra. The deputy stopped Moss in the parking lot of the QuikTrip gas station, 1617 Gravois Road, in High Ridge, the report said.
The deputy allegedly found a gun in the pickup and a partially open ladder in the pickup bed, according to the report.
A class B felony is punishable by five to 15 years in prison, and class E felony carries a penalty of up to four years in prison. An unclassified felony is punishable by three to 15 years in prison, and class A misdemeanors carry a penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.