Road rage in circuit court

Two assault charges were filed Friday in Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court against road rage suspect Nicolas Raudin, 32, a French native living in Cape Girardeau.

Raudin was charged Dec. 13 in Cape Girardeau Municipal Court for assaulting a driver on Dec. 10. However, the case was reviewed by Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle, who discussed it with city prosecutor Reagan Holliday and said both agreed it should be prosecuted by the county.

Raudin now faces a class A misdemeanor for allegedly punching the driver in the face and a class C misdemeanor for allegedly grabbing her seat belt and touching her face in an force her to look at him.

Raudin was not arrested, but instead received a summons for the new charges. His initial court appearance is set for Jan. 16.