A Columbia businessman remains in Monroe County Jail following his alleged threat to kill a police officer. 

Charges were filed last week in Monroe County Circuit Court against Steven B. Wiechert, 53, of Dupo.

Wiechert, owner of The Barn tavern in Columbia, is charged with one count of terrorism/false threat – a Class 1 felony – and one count of threatening a public official – a Class 3 felony – for threatening “to shoot and kill” Columbia Police Department Sgt. Zachary Hopkins and his family on Dec. 15.

Per court information, the terrorism charge is due to Wiechert creating “the impression or belief that a terrorist act will be committed,” and the threatening a public official charge is based on the “hostility of (Wiechert) toward the status of Sgt. Hopkins” as a law enforcement officer. 

A pre-trial detention hearing was initially set for Thursday but was rescheduled for Monday afternoon to allow Wiechert’s private counsel to be present. 

Wiechert initially indicated a desire to seek pretrial release, Monroe County State’s Attorney Ryan Webb indicated last week.

However, during Monday’s hearing, Wiechert’s attorney Dennis Hatch indicated an agreement had been reached with the Monroe County State’s Attorney’s Office to continue pretrial considerations pending a mental health evaluation.

Monroe County Resident Judge Chris Hitzemann ordered Wiechert to undergo in-patient evaluation and treatment at a facility to be determined.

When asked for a tentative hearing date, Hatch noted the evaluation process may take four to six weeks, depending on how quickly Wiechert is able to be admitted to an appropriate facility.

The next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 10 unless the evaluation process is completed sooner than expected.

A preliminary hearing in the matter was also waived Monday afternoon.

Additionally, an order of protection – firearms restraining order – was filed last week which ordered Wiechert to surrender any weapons to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.

Hatch noted Wiechert had already complied with the order, although his Firearm Owner Identification card was believed to be with personal effects he surrendered during inmate processing at the Monroe County Jail.

Hatch also suggested a stipulation requiring Wiechert “cooperate” with law enforcement and mental health officials be added to the potential pretrial condition list should Wiechert be eligible for release following his evaluation.

As a concession, Hatch asked that Wiechert’s personal cell phone be returned to Wiechert’s father upon completion of a “dump” of the phone’s electronic contents.

The device was confiscated following Wiechert’s  arrest last week and is believed to have been entered into evidence as it would likely contain any communication records between Wiechert and parties relevant to the two charges.

Hitzemann did not grant the request but did grant permission for Hatch and Assistant State’s Attorney Marcus Wade to decide terms of the phone’s release, if permitted.

Hatch noted Wiechert’s father is involved in his business, and the phone in question is the primary point of contact for some customers. 

Wiechert’s businesses may be the catalyst for the alleged threats made against Hopkins. 

Earlier this year, Wiechert created a post on The Barn’s Facebook account detailing a long list of grievances against the City of Columbia, its building inspector specifically, alleging misdealings and miscommunication of code requirements for his tavern.

In March, Columbia City Administrator Doug Brimm responded to a request for comment about the Facebook post.

Brimm said city officials met with Wiechert and property co-owner Rebecca Dickinson twice in February to review Wiechert’s claims in detail. 

Brimm described the information as a “misrepresentation of the facts.”

Wiechert continued to make periodic posts via The Barn’s Facebook account, further alleging that certain business owners and people with “influence” in city government were acting in concert to suppress competition.

Wiechert also reached out to the Republic-Times in an ongoing conversation regarding what he described as the city’s habit of following the whims of established businesspeople in Columbia while intentionally creating hardship for any newcomers to the city’s business community.

Wiechert cited former Doggy Mac’s Food Truck owner Bryan Scott, whose story of trying to open a business in downtown Columbia was covered by the Republic-Times when his issues with the city began in the fall of 2022.

The story also garnered coverage of St. Louis television news stations when Scott addressed the Columbia City Council on Feb. 6, 2023, detailing a lack of clarity from city officials and frustration that began after shortly after he opened his business and continued until its closing less than a year later.

Scott was subsequently sued for failing to make lease payments after his business was shuttered.

He has since filed for bankruptcy as a result of the fiasco, Scott told the Republic-Times during an update earlier this year.

During several phone conversations, Wiechert asserted that what happened to Scott was happening to him. Wiechert claimed the city began demanding structural changes following his purchase of the property, including installation of an elevator as a prerequisite for opening a planned second-floor addition to The Barn.

The expense of installing an elevator would effectively end his business, Wiechert speculated, adding he believed that was the intention of city’s inspector.

He further alleged the city was intentionally delaying his progress to placate other business owners with an interest in his business closing, citing reports and testimony of independent contractors he spoke with regarding the city’s demands.

Brimm provided a written, detailed copy of the city’s retort to Wiechert’s list of complaints, refuting all but one item – that being a sidewalk requirement of which the city claimed ignorance.

The city’s responses ranged from explanation of pertinent construction codes to denying other accusations outright. 

At the time, Wiechert sought legal counsel in the matter – although his attorney advised the Republic-Times to not print an article based on conversations with Wiechert, as the attorney was seeking a less public resolution to the situation.

Since then, communication from Wiechert has mostly stopped, with no word on if this matter was ever resolved.

Whatever the case may be, it appears as if Wiechert’s business will have the same fate as Scott’s business. 

A complaint to foreclose on the property owned by Wiechert and Dickerson, 316-318 N. Main Street, Columbia, was filed Dec. 10 in Monroe County Court by Mark Frierdich.

The filing indicates the defendants are in default on a second mortgage on the property executed in June 2024 and requests the property be foreclosed and sold, with the proceeds distributed accordingly. 

Wiechert had previously operated the Columbia General Store at that location beginning in spring of 2023.

That business has since closed, and Wiechert’s partner in the store, Steve Frierdich – Mark Frierdich’s son – was charged with criminal damage to property at The Barn on Jan. 9, 2024, for which he was sentenced to a year of court supervision.

As previously reported, Mark and Steve Frierdich  as well as Mark’s wife Linda, along with the owners of JLP Homes, were named in a fraud filing in late October. 

JLP Homes has since paid the “$85,300+” required as part of the suit, and all parties have settled “additional claims” in the matter – although the terms are “confidential,” according to a Dec. 12 letter forwarded to the Republic-Times which was written to a third party by the law firm representing the plaintiff in the lawsuit.

The foreclosure notice, lawsuit settlement communication and Wiechert’s criminal charges all occurred within five days of each other.