Cape man arrested, charged in Bollinger County stabbing incident

About four hours after a victim was repeatedly stabbed Friday morning in Bollinger County, the suspect was located by a Bollinger County sheriff’s deputy and apprehended in connection with the crime.

Court documents show Zachary Howard, 25, of Cape Girardeau has been charged with one Class A felony count of first-degree assault and one unclassified felony count of armed criminal action in relation to the incident.

According to a probable-cause statement written by Bollinger County deputy Casey J. Dodd, a 911 caller reported an assault with a deadly weapon had occurred at 8:28 a.m. in the area of County Road 328 and Route M. At the time of the 911 call, the caller was en route to a hospital with the victim.

Dispatchers advised the caller to meet an ambulance at the intersection of highways 72 and 34, according to the probable-cause statement, where the victim was then transported by ambulance to Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.

Dodd stated the suspect was identified as Zachary Howard, who was described as a friend of the victim, and the victim sustained three puncture wounds from a small knife — one in the left arm, one in the upper left chest and one in the lower left back.

Upon further investigation, the stabbing was stated to have occurred after Howard entered the victim’s residence through the front door and was told to “stop slamming the door,” according to the probable-cause statement. Howard then allegedly became “furious” and retrieved a small, bladed knife from his back side and stabbed the victim.

A description of the suspect was released to the public and multiple, anonymous callers reported observing a someone matching the suspect’s description walking on County Road 320 northbound toward Route M, according to the probable-cause statement.

Dodd stated he responded to the area and observed a man covered in cobwebs and dirt matching the suspect’s description and ordered him to the ground. The suspect, later identified as Howard, was handcuffed at 12:43 p.m. and a small knife was located on him, according to the probable-cause statement.

Howard remains in the custody of the Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office and is being held without bond, according to a felony arrest warrant signed by Associate Circuit Judge Alan J. Beussink. A bond-reduction hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday.