The president of the Joel E. Barber C-5 Board of Education, Robert Dale Christiansen, has resigned after being charged with domestic assault in the third degree. The board accepted his resignation Thursday the same day the charge was filed (5-0, Christiansen included). The charge is a class E felony.
Missouri Revised Statute defines the charge as follows: “A person commits the offense of domestic assault in the third degree if he or she attempts to cause physical injury or knowingly causes physical pain or illness to a domestic victim, as the term "domestic victim" is defined under section 565.002.”
According to the probable cause report filed by Troop I of the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Thursday, the Laclede County Sheriff’s office began investigating the alleged assault, which was alleged to have taken place in August 2024, in February of this year. The Sheriff’s Office later contacted Troop I for assistance.
The statement said the alleged victim reported that the accused allegedly pushed her into a doorframe during an argument. While trying to retrieve her phone, which the defendant allegedly took with him into his vehicle, the alleged victim was drug with the vehicle before it hit the carport and stopped.
Please note that when the Record uses the word “alleged” to describe the status of a victim or crime, it does not imply belief or disbelief on the paper’s part. It means that a charge has not been proven in court.
For more on this story, see Saturday's LCR.
