Steven M. Munie, 34, of Linn, has been charged with felony and misdemeanor assault, and possession of a controlled substance following an altercation May 11 at a residence in Linn.

According to Linn Police Officer Michael Bickell, Munie, who had several cuts and blood on his right hand and admitted he was in possession of cash and syringes, said he was at the residence to “trip them up,” meaning, make a narcotics purchase from Jeffrey L. Tidball, Joshua H. Tidball and Charles D. Munie, in the guise of a confidential informant.

However, upon pressing for details, such as who Munie’s handler was, the defendant said he was not a rat, which led Bickell to the conclusion that this was not in fact a sanctioned operation.

When asked why his fingers were bloody, Munie told Bickell that Jeffrey Tidball had assaulted him when he visited the house to speak with Charles Munie.

That didn’t jibe with what Munie first said, and Bickell called him on it, prompting the other to say he was visiting Charles Munie to use his cell phone to arrange for a ride to Illinois, where he planned to make a narcotics purchase.

Bickell in his probable cause statement noted that Steven Munie’s breath had a moderate odor of alcoholic beverage.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Dustin Craft arrived on scene and interviewed the occupants of the residence. He advised Bickell that they claimed it was Munie that had assaulted one of them.

After being advised of his Miranda rights, Steven Munie said he planned to buy meth that day from someone in Jefferson City, or the state of Illinois. He further stated he intended to use the syringes in his possession.

“I asked Steven Munie if he likes to smoke meth, and he said he hates the taste,” Bickell noted in his PC statement.

When asked if he instead like to “bang” meth, a term referring to the injection of the drug, Munie, “Laughed and told me he does, and that he had just used yesterday,” Bickell added.

Munie then provided proof of his claim by showing the officer a faint bruise on his left arm.

Munie was placed under arrest, and a search of his person followed. Bickell confiscated $5,241 in cash, and four clear, capped syringes, one without a needle, the other three containing needles. He also had seven alcohol wipes in his pocket.

A voluntary statement by the three men at the residence claimed that Munie had assaulted Jeffrey Tidball.

Once at the Osage County Detention Center, things took a turn for the worse.

Bickell noted that Munie threatened to kill his family when he gets out of jail, and then the defendant approached Jail Officer Cpl. Kyle Brown and attempted to remove his body camera. His first attempt failed, but Munie was persistent and eventually ripped the camera from Brown’s shirt as officers tried to restrain him.

It was then that Bickell deployed his taser and stun-drove Munie onto his back, at which time he recovered the body camera.

Munie sat on the bench at the jail, but immediately stood up and began heading toward Bickell, who fired his taser again, hitting Munie in the chest.

Munie is not a stranger to the legal system. He was charged in April of 2019 with several felonies, including theft, stealing and receiving stolen property. He also was found guilty of unlawful use of drug paraphernalia in 2016 in Howard County.

Munie remains in custody in lieu of a $10,000 cash or surety bond.