NEW MADRID, Mo. -- A former Butler County man was placed on probation Tuesday after pleading guilty to a lesser stalking charge.
Accompanied by his attorney, Scott Dale, Henry Marlin Rice Jr. appeared before Presiding Circuit Judge Fred Copeland and entered a plea of guilty to the Class A misdemeanor of stalking, according to docket entries on Casenet.
The 47-year-old Salesville, Ark., man entered his plea after the state, represented by Assistant Attorney General Christine Krug, filed a substitute information with the court on Monday afternoon.
It alleged that "during a period of time from Nov. 22, 2012, through Dec. 6, 2012, ... (Rice) purposely followed Timothy Sentell with the intent of harassing him."
After reportedly going over Rice's rights, Copeland accepted his plea and sentenced him to one year in the New Madrid County Jail, with suspended execution of the sentence.
Rice was placed on two years' unsupervised probation, with the special condition of having no contact with Sentell.
The case against Rice originated in Butler County, where he originally was charged with two Class D felonies of aggravated stalking.
Rice allegedly made what earlier were described as "various credible threats including 'Sentell, you better get on home or I'm gonna slash your throat' and 'I'm gonna kill you Sentell.'"
The alleged threats reportedly were made in front of the Dollar Store in Qulin, Mo., and at Sentell's Qulin residence and were made with the purpose of harassing Sentell.
According to earlier reports, Sentell told a Butler County deputy he believed the threats were because of his girlfriend.
Sentell reported the woman had left him about two months prior and became involved in a relationship with Rice.
The woman subsequently left Rice and moved back in with Sentell, allegedly making Rice mad.
Sentell further told the deputy Rice's alleged threats "scared him really bad because he knows the charges that are against Rice."
At that time, Rice was charged with the Class A felony of second-degree murder or in the alternative the Class A felony of first-degree murder.
Rice was among four charged in connection with the August 1999 death of Carla Ann Austin.
Authorities believed the 33-year-old was killed in retaliation by members of her late husband's family, including her two stepdaughters and their cousin, who held her responsible for his earlier death.
Authorities describe Rice as a longtime friend, who was considered part of the Austin family.
The charges against Rice were dismissed in November by Krug. An AG's spokesman said at the time there was "evidentiary shortfalls," which would "not allow for a successful prosecution."