COLUMBIA, Mo. - Former Osage County Sheriff Michael Dixon made a brief appearance Tuesday morning in Boone County's associate circuit court, and will be back in court Nov. 4.
Associate Circuit Judge Deborah Daniels set aside four hours that Friday afternoon for the state to present evidence and witnesses in the case against Dixon, who was charged April 8 with being intoxicated and unlawfully pointing a weapon at another person in the Hitchin' Post, a Hartsburg bar.
"I'm going to set it for four hours," Daniels told Boone County Assistant Prosecutor Brauck Jacobs and Grant Boyd of Clayton, one of Dixon's attorneys. "If we finish in two (hours), no one will be upset."
Dixon's hearing will be the only case scheduled that afternoon.
The delay from Tuesday's hearing allows the Boone County prosecutor to subpoena the witnesses needed for the preliminary hearing, where the state has to present enough evidence to convince the judge a crime was committed and there's a reasonable likelihood Dixon committed it.
If she agrees, then the case would be sent to the circuit court - and a different judge - for a trial.
Dixon is charged with unlawful use of a weapon. If convicted, the Class D felony could result in a prison sentence of up to four years.
At a May 2 court appearance, Dixon waived a formal reading of the charge and pleaded not guilty.
At the time he was charged, Dixon still was Osage County's sheriff, and a felony conviction also would have resulted in his losing his required peace officer's license and job.
But he did not file for re-election, and resigned as sheriff on May 26.
On Tuesday, state Public Safety department spokesman Mike O'Connell told the News Tribune that Dixon recently surrendered his license.
"Surrendering a license is permanent," O'Connell said. "You can't ever get it back."
Dixon won't be able to get a law enforcement job in Missouri, where the job requires a license showing compliance with Missouri's Peace Officer Standards and Training requirements.