A Jefferson City man has been placed on five years of supervised probation for shooting into the offices at St. Joseph Cathedral on April 7, 2018, in Jefferson City.
James Smith, 44, pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm at a habitable structure during a Friday hearing before Cole County Senior Judge Richard Callahan. He was also ordered to pay $11,270 in restitution.
This was in connection with the shooting of 12 rounds from a gun at six cars on the property of the Missouri Office of State Court Administrators. The shooting caused damage to the windows and tires of the cars.
Police searched Smith’s house and found a box of ammunition and a pistol, according to a Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement.
Smith admitted he had been upset because he could not find a priest to speak with when he went to the church. Police said surveillance video shows Smith knocked on the door of the church but failed to get a response. He then got a gun and fired once into the building through the glass section of the door.