Columbia Man Held Without Bond After Hatchet Threat, Kill Vow at Home

A 32-year-old Columbia man is sitting in the Boone County Jail without bond after police say he grabbed a hatchet during a heated argument over food and threatened to kill someone inside the home. Javan Jovon Harris now faces one count of armed criminal action, one count of unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of misdemeanor fourth-degree domestic assault, according to court documents.

Officers responding to the home Wednesday found Harris holding the hatchet and yelling at one of the victims, according to a probable cause statement cited by ABC 17 News. A witness told investigators they heard Harris yell that he was going to kill one of the victims, per court documents, while a second witness reported seeing him swinging the hatchet while yelling.

According to a victim statement, the confrontation began when Harris and another person in the home argued over food. The dispute escalated when Harris stated he was going to kill one of the people in the home, the victim told police, and then grabbed the hatchet.

Harris Says He Feared a Knife, Records Show

Harris gave police his own account of what triggered the confrontation. Per a court statement, he told officers he grabbed the hatchet because he thought a victim was getting a knife from the kitchen, though he said he did not actually see the victim holding one. Court documents state that Harris ultimately threatened to use the hatchet to kill a victim before hitting the weapon on the ground in front of the home, according to the same court statement.

Harris has no scheduled court date at this time, the report notes. He remains held without bond at the Boone County Jail.

Why the Weapon Charge Carries Extra Weight

The armed criminal action charge is what sets this case apart from a typical misdemeanor domestic dispute. Under Missouri Revised Statutes § 571.015, armed criminal action is an unclassified felony carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of three years in state prison for a first offense, and a defendant convicted of it is legally ineligible for probation, parole, or conditional release.

The unlawful use of a weapon count also carries significant exposure. Missouri Revised Statutes § 571.030 makes it a Class E felony, punishable by up to four years in prison, to exhibit any weapon readily capable of lethal use in an angry or threatening manner in front of others. By contrast, the two counts of fourth-degree domestic assault Harris faces are Class A misdemeanors under Missouri Revised Statutes § 565.076, carrying penalties of up to one year in county jail and fines up to $2,000 for attempting physical harm or placing a domestic victim in fear of immediate injury.

Why Harris Is Being Held Without Bond

Harris's detention without bond traces back to local court procedure rather than a judge's individual ruling on his case specifically. Under Administrative Order 14-17 of Missouri's 13th Judicial Circuit Court, anyone arrested for an unclassified felony in Boone County must have bond reviewed and set directly by a circuit judge within 24 hours of arrest, rather than through a standard bond schedule, according to the Boone County Bar Association.

That does not mean Harris will remain in custody indefinitely without a hearing. Missouri Criminal Rule 33.05 entitles detained defendants to a bond reduction hearing within seven days of an initial appearance, where prosecutors and defense attorneys can argue over flight risk and public safety, per the Mueller Law Group.

Local and National Domestic Violence Context

Victims of domestic violence in Columbia and Boone County have access to crisis advocacy and safety planning through the Domestic Violence Enforcement Unit, known as DOVE, a joint effort involving True North of Columbia, local police, and county prosecutors. The unit co-locates advocates within the Columbia Police Department to help victims soon after an arrest occurs.

Columbia Police Department data shows that overall violent crime in the city steadily decreased between 2023 and 2025, even as the total number of reported criminal incidents rose over the same period, according to KOMU. Statewide, law enforcement agencies have recorded tens of thousands of domestic violence incidents annually, including 45,548 reported incidents in a single year, according to figures compiled by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and cited by the Washington University Center for Violence and Injury Prevention. Nationally, an FBI Uniform Crime Reporting special report published in February documented more than 1.1 million domestic violence victims and over 11,000 domestic violence homicides between 2020 and 2024, with female victims comprising nearly 75% of cases.

This case is one of at least two recent Boone County prosecutions built around the same trio of charges. A Columbia woman recently drew 25 years in a separate case involving domestic assault, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon charges in the same circuit court. It remains unclear whether prosecutors in Harris's case will pursue an order of protection through Boone County Circuit Court, and no court date has yet been set for his initial appearance.