A Poplar Bluff teenager was arrested Tuesday morning after mental health officials intercepted a third letter she had written threatening to kill Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth.
Kyle King, a care coordinator at the SEMO Behavioral Health, reported to Poplar Bluff Police Patrolman Rick Adams that Charity Alexis Bostic-Green had made death threats in a letter to Bloodworth.
"King said (Tuesday) he intercepted another letter addressed to the court with another death threat," Adams wrote in his report. Similar letters reportedly had been intercepted on Saturday and Monday.
"King said Bostic-Green was upset and blames Judge Bloodworth because she was taken away from her mother when she was 9 years old," Adams said.
Contact was made with Bostic-Green, who was at the South Main Street facility, and she was arrested on a municipal failure to appear warrant for property damage.
The 19-year-old was taken to the police station, where she was processed and told of her rights.
While in the booking area, Cpl. Shonna Grobe spoke with Bostic-Green.
"I advised Charity that I had read the letter than she wrote (Monday) night, and I had knowledge of two other letters of the same nature that (were) written recently," Grobe wrote in her report.
Grobe said she asked Bostic-Green what caused her to write the letters.
" ... she stated she had a lot of hatred toward Judge Bloodworth," Grobe said. "Charity explained she was put in (state) custody when she was younger, and she has held a grudge against Judge Bloodworth for a long time."
Bostic-Green, Grobe said, also told her she recently had been placed on probation on an assault charge, "which she felt this punishment was unjust."
According to Casenet, Bostic-Green pleaded guilty as charged to the Class A misdemeanor of fourth-degree assault on Oct. 26.
At the time Bostic-Green entered her plea she reportedly did so without an attorney and after being told of her rights by Bloodworth.
Bloodworth suspended the imposition of Bostic-Green's sentence and placed her on two years' supervised probation through the Citizens' Advisory Board. She was ordered to do 40 hours of community service and complete an anger management program.
" ... after speaking to Charity, I asked if she still wanted to harm Judge Bloodworth, and she stated: 'Yes,'" Grobe said. "Charity stated she wished to 'hurt him bad.'"
According to Grobe, Bostic-Green wrote in her letter that she "intended on showing up to the Butler County Courthouse on Dec. 28, 2017, for her court appearance, and she plans on killing Judge Bloodworth."
Bostic-Green is supposed to appear at 9 a.m. Thursday before Bloodworth for a show cause hearing regarding her alleged failure to pay costs related to her case.
Grobe said she attempted to reason with Bostic-Green and explain her probation status, as well as why she was put in state custody as a child, but "the conversation did not seem to do much good."
Grobe said she and Bostic-Green also discussed her "mental stability, and she stated this week she has been in Poplar Bluff Regional (Medical Center's) Behavior Health unit and released."
Grobe said she subsequently spoke with Bloodworth, who indicated he wanted the report sent to the Butler County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
In addition, Grobe said, she notified Butler County Sgt. Aaron Pratt about the situation, so "proper precautionary measures" could be taken during court on Thursday should Bostic-Green be released from custody.
Grobe said she also spoke with Mark Wardlow, director of SEMO Behavioral Health, by telephone.
Wardlow, she said, reported Bostic-Green is "still a client at SEMO Behavioral Health, and she is more than welcome to return to their facility for further treatment.
"I explained the need for more extensive mental health treatment for Charity due to the threats, and he agreed they could facilitate that need."
Bostic-Green is being held in the Butler County jail on the warrant and on suspicion of tampering with a judicial official.