A Wright City man has been charged with a felony in connection with an incident earlier this year when he allegedly threatened to kill a woman and then chased her in his vehicle following a dispute over leashing a dog.
Clifford Coogan was charged Friday, Oct. 9, with first-degree harassment. The charge stems from a July 31 incident at Reifsnider State Forest.
The victim in the case approached a woman at the state forest parking lot and asked her to put her dog on a leash so the victim could take her own dog for a walk, according to a probable cause statement.
The woman, whose identity was unknown, according to the statement, responded by saying “I'm going to shoot you if you don't leave,” and “I'm going to go to my car to get my gun and kill you,” while walking toward her vehicle, a gray Jeep Wrangler.
A man who was also at the parking lot, later identified as Coogan, “agreed with the female's statements,” according to the probable cause statement, and also told the victim “I'm going to get my gun and kill you,” while walking toward the Wrangler.
The victim was in fear and left the area after being threatened, but shortly afterward she saw Coogan and the woman in their vehicle following her, according to the probable cause statement.
They allegedly continued to follow her until she called her mother, at which point they slowed down and then made a right turn, while the victim turned left, at Highway M. The victim was able to get a photo of the license plate of their Jeep, however, which a later records check revealed to be registered to Coogan.
A Warren County sheriff’s deputy subsequently contacted Coogan at his residence in the 300 block of Buck Hollow Court, but he was allegedly uncooperative and hostile.
“Coogan refused to answer any questions about what happened at the Reifsnider Conservation Area and demanded I leave his property,” the deputy wrote in the statement.
An arrest warrant for Coogan, born in 1965, was issued Friday, with his bond set at $5,000 cash only.
In addition to Clifford Coogan, the investigation revealed that the Jeep that he allegedly followed the victim in was registered to be transferred upon Clifford Coogan’s death to Mariann Coogan.
Based on Department of Revenue photos, the victim in the case positively identified both Clifford and Mariann Coogan as the man and woman who threatened her at the state forest parking lot, according to the probable cause statement. As of Friday afternoon, however, no charges had been filed against Mariann Coogan.
