A St. Charles man hid in the parking lot of the Jordan Creek shopping center Tuesday evening before allegedly shooting an electroshock weapon at a West Des Moines man.
Lucas Merle Winebrenner, 43, of 2885 235th St., St. Charles, Iowa, was charged with intimidation with a dangerous weapon and going armed with intent.
The incident began about 9 p.m. Tuesday in the 100 block of Jordan Creek Parkway, where officers of the West Des Moines Police Department responded to a report of a suspicious person with a weapon.
The officers made contact with a witness, who said Winebrenner “charged” her and the male victim “from the side” and then allegedly “drew a taser device and fired it towards the victim,” according to court records.
The witness told the officers that she “interacted” with Winebrenner “earlier in the day,” and Winebrenner “had a GPS tracking device on the vehicle the witness was driving.”
Surveillance video from the parking lot revealed Winebrenner “crouching behind vehicles” and apparently “waiting for the victim and the witness to exit the mall,” according to court records.
The electroshock weapon was recovered at the scene, according to court records.
Winebrenner is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $15,000 cash or surety bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Feb. 16 in Dallas County District Court.
Winebrenner was convicted of assault in 2018 in Polk County District Court.
* A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
