A Casey man was arrested Thursday on a Dallas County warrant in connection with a Saturday night incident in which a dispute over fireworks in Redfield led him allegedly to threaten to kill a Des Moines man.
Austin John Worthington, 24. of 2065 White Pole Road, Casey, was charged with first-degree harassment.
The incident occurred about 1:15 a.m. July 3 near the low-head dam in Redfield, where Worthington allegedly threatened to put the Des Moines victim “in his grave early by sticking him in the neck,” according to court records.
The victim received the threat through Facebook Messenger while fishing at the Redfield dam. The threat “alarmed the victim and put him in fear of his safety,” according to court records.
According to court records, the incident began when the victim asked Worthington in person “how many more fireworks he planned to shoot off as it was making the victim’s dog go crazy.”
Worthington allegedly “confronted the victim, stating he can’t be told what to do in his hometown,” and he “told the victim he was lucky he had his daughter with him before driving off in his vehicle.”
The victim received the threatening message shortly afterward, and he then left the dam area, “believing the suspect would come back out to where he was fishing,” according to court records.
A warrant for Worthington’s arrest was ordered July 7 in Dallas County District Court and served July 8. He is held in the Dallas County Jail in advance of an initial appearance in Dallas County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
