Arkansas Man Charged in Mercer County After Alleged Threats, Repeated Calls to Prosecutor’s Office and Police

A Warren, Arkansas man is facing felony charges in Mercer County after authorities say he made threats against a prosecutor’s office and repeatedly called both the office and the Celina Police Department, disrupting operations.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Mercer County Common Pleas Court, 48 year old Michael Wessel has been charged with intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness in a criminal case, a third degree felony, and disrupting public services, a fourth degree felony.

Court records say the case stems from events on February 19. Authorities say Wessel had been scheduled for a telephone pretrial that afternoon in a separate Celina Municipal Court case, but he did not appear. After the hearing was rescheduled and his future appearance was required, investigators say Wessel became angry and began making calls to court and prosecutor’s office personnel.

According to an affidavit filed by Celina Patrolman Jeremy Kerr, a clerk with Celina Municipal Court reported that Wessel became irate during a phone call and said he was going to the municipal prosecutor’s office and was “starting a war.”

Investigators say Wessel later called the office of Municipal Court Prosecutor George Moore and allegedly yelled and cursed at administrative assistant Brandy Epley. The affidavit says Epley reported that Wessel threatened to come to Celina and “bash their heads in,” referring to Moore and Epley. Both Moore and Epley told police they feared for their safety.

Authorities also allege that Wessel repeatedly called the prosecutor’s office even after being warned to stop. According to the affidavit, from 3:37 to 4:53 p.m. he called that office 92 times and left 9 voicemails.

The affidavit further states that Wessel also began repeatedly calling the Celina Police Department at about 3:22 p.m., tying up dispatch lines. Investigators say he called the department 28 times between 3:22 and 3:51 p.m., yelled profanities at dispatchers, and continued calling after warnings for telecommunications harassment. The calls reportedly stopped only after Wabash Mutual Telephone blocked the phone number, allowing dispatch operations to return to normal.

The charges were filed February 20 in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.