Officers of the Columbia Police Department arrested a man for strong-arm robbery and third-degree assault after an altercation at The Blue Fugue, a bar located on Ninth Street, on Wednesday. Officers responded to the scene at about 7:15 p.m. and arrested Dean Wilmoth, 35, a block away from the bar.
The bar’s general manager, 22-year-old Spencer Pearson, said Wilmoth tried to come in before the bar was open. Pearson said he turned the suspect away not only because the bar’s doors were still locked but because he was clearly intoxicated.
Pearson told Wilmoth he needed to go home. Wilmoth eventually left but returned half an hour later. Pearson said he explained to Wilmoth that he would not be allowed in and offered him a cab.
Wilmoth turned away and walked a quarter of the block down the sidewalk before smacking an 18-year-old man on the head, according to a news release from the Columbia Police Department. Pearson said he witnessed the victim give Wilmoth money before the suspect hit him again and demanded more.
Pearson decided to call the police.
“I think that people should be able to take care of themselves, but once you rob a kid on the street, you’ve crossed the line,” Pearson said. “I can’t just watch that happen and not alert the authorities.”
Pearson said he never had an issue with the suspect prior to the incident but that he had seen him at the bar before. Pearson confirmed that the suspect was a tall white male with facial tattoos and piercings, who was wearing a bandana at the time of the assault.
“He was a guy you would recognize if you ever saw him,” Pearson said.
Inside of Wilmoth’s pockets was the exact amount of money reported stolen. According to the news release, Wilmoth was positively identified by the victim. The police and victim did what Pearson called a drive-up ID. The suspect was sitting on the sidewalk cuffed as the police and victim drove up to him with a spotlight on his face. Following the arrest, Wilmoth was taken to a local hospital after he injured himself during transport, CPD spokeswoman Latisha Stroer said.
After arriving at the hospital, Wilmoth spat on an officer and was charged with third-degree assault of a law enforcement officer. According to the Missouri Courts website, Wilmoth has received several DWIs and has plead guilty to previous assault charges.
There is a set bond of $500 for the assault, and the bond for the second-degree robbery is not yet determined.
As The Blue Fugue’s general manager, Pearson has gone through State of Missouri Alcohol Responsibility Training. The city of Columbia passed an ordinance that requires all bartenders to take the course, so his staff will go through it as well, Pearson said.
“There are pretty strict and clear guidelines on who you can serve and who you can and cannot let into your establishment,” Pearson said.
The training focuses on teaching bartenders how to recognize intoxicated individuals and how to handle situations in a non-confrontational way.
“I was just trying to help him make the right decision, but you can’t always do that,” Pearson said. “You can’t always convince a person who’s ‘gone’ to do the right thing.”