Two Jefferson City men arrested, charged with assault

Cole County Sheriff's Department patrol vehicle
Cole County Sheriff's Department patrol vehicle

Two Jefferson City men have been charged and arrested for allegedly beating and threatening to shoot another man last week.

Jeremy L. Roark, 32, and Sean C. Stegeman, 33, both have been charged with first-degree assault, a class B felony. Cole County Sheriff's Department deputies arrested Roark at 4 p.m. Sept. 21, and Stegeman later that evening at 7 p.m.

Both men have bail set at $150,000, cash only.

Their relationship with the alleged male victim was not clear from Sheriffs Department probable cause statements.

An officer responded Thursday to an assault of a man at his residence near Centertown, according to the probable cause statements. The dispatch log for that day shows this happened at about 11:15 a.m.

Upon arrival, the officer found the man with a bloody left eye that was swollen shut. The victim also had blood on both his hands and arms, and "there was a fair amount of blood on the door to the (residence) and on the ground near the step area," according to the statements.

The officer asked the man who had injured him, and he named Roark and Stegeman.

The man said he, Roark and Stegeman had driven back to his residence in Roark's pickup truck. When they got out of the truck, Stegeman allegedly demanded that the man pay $120 owed to him.

The man said he told Stegeman he did not have the money but offered to pay him with two drills he had. The victim said he tried to run from the other two men, but Stegeman caught up with him and tackled him to the ground.

Stegeman allegedly got on top of him to hold him down while Roark held a gun on the man. "Sean then yelled for Jeremy to shoot (the victim), that he could not hold him," the probable cause statement reads.

The man said he was able to get away from Stegeman, but was tackled again before Roark and Stegeman allegedly kicked him while on the ground.

Roark was later questioned by police and admitted to a detective that he had been at the scene during the altercation. Roark also had blood on his boots.