KC man claiming to know Chiefs quarterback faces charges in OC

Eric Jonathon Hogard, 65, of Kansas City, is now facing several charges in Ozark County after behaving erratically at a local business. 

According to the probable cause statement prepared by Ozark County Lt. Matthew Rhoades, at around 1:35 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department received a phone call about man driving erratically in the parking lot near the bridge on County Road 503 in Gainesville. According to Rhoades, he and Deputy Hunter Ryan were patrolling the area when they received the report of a male in a gray car making U-turns in the roadway, parking in the road, getting out of the vehicle and yelling, getting back in the car and continuing to drive, parking on the private parking lot belonging to a Gainesville business. The business requested that the man be removed and trespassed from the property.

The probable cause statement goes on to say that the officers found Hogard parked in a field that belonged to the business. The man was playing loud music and allegedly walking around his car “singing loud enough that we could hear him from some distance as we approached in our patrol vehicle.

“We contacted the male. The suspect who was in fact acting strange, stating that he knew the Kansas City Chief’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes personally and that he was setting up a KC Chief’s parade in Gainesville.”

Rhoades wrote that while he was speaking with Hogard, he didn’t see or smell anything that made the officers think the man was intoxicated. Hogard was told he needed to leave the property and he left immediately.

“We were called to another call and had to leave the area, but as we left, I observed [Hogard] turn his hazard lights on, stop on the bridge, stop half on the roadway on a city street…drive again for a brief distance and slow almost to a stop then speed up again. He then pulled into a business parking lot and we had to leave the area.”

According Rhoades, at about 7 p.m. he and Deputy Ryan received a call about a possibly intoxicated driver in Gainesville. “The reporting party stated there was a male that drove into a store’s parking lot and was parked across parking lanes with his hazard lights on and yelling and acting strange. The store wanted him removed.”

Rhoades wrote that a citizen texted him to be careful when arriving because one of the workers inside the store thought the man might have a gun because he was “shining what appeared to be a laser into the store.

“We located the vehicle, which I recognized as the male who we contacted earlier in the afternoon. He was parked across several parking lanes and had his hazard lights on. He was yelling at something and talking to himself. I went to the driver’s side window and immediately smelled the odor of burned marijuana and saw a marijuana smoking pipe sitting on the center console next to the gear shifter.”

Rhoades said he asked Hogard if he had been smoking marijuana but he denied using any and started arguing and yelling at Rhoades and Ryan.

“I asked him to step out of the vehicle…to further my investigation and to prevent him from attempting to leave as it was apparent that he was becoming irritated,” Rhoades wrote. “He refused to step out of the vehicle and placed the car in drive and stated that he was leaving. I told him not to leave and he told me that I could talk to his lawyer.

“I could smell the odor of alcohol on his breath and asked him a short time later if he had been drinking, and he stated he had not drunk alcohol for 100 years. I attempted to look at his eyes to see if he had any physical indications that he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs but was unable to see his eyes due to a headband that he was wearing low on his forehead.” 

Rhoades said Hogard refused to let him see his eyes by swinging his left hand at Rhoades’ face to keep him at a distance. 

“I told him that he had been reported to be driving erratic twice in the same day and I personally observed it as we were leaving earlier. [Hogard] became frustrated and argued about [how] he owned the town because his grandfather had the title in his name. He again put his car in drive.”

Rhoades and Ryan ordered Hogard to place the vehicle in park. Instead of listening to the officers, Hogard allegedly said he was going to get the officers fired. Rhoades stated that he walked to the other side of the car to see if there were any alcohol containers in plain view. 

“As I was on that side of the vehicle, [Hogard] started yelling at me and he stated, ‘I’m warning you, I’ll pull it’ and his left hand went down towards the pocket of the driver’s side door and his right hand reached where the seat and the console meet, where I have located many guns wedged on other traffic stops. I asked, ‘pull what?’ and [Hogard] said, ‘none of your business.’ [Hogard] then began to roll up the windows and Deputy Ryan ordered him to show his hands and grabbed the driver’s side window to prevent him from barricading inside the vehicle.”

Rhoades said that because Hogard refused to step out of the car, comply with other orders, attempted to roll up the windows, put the car in drive and said that he was leaving, Rhoades “decided to extract him to prevent him from leaving due to the raising suspicion that he was intoxicated coupled with the plain view/smell that I observed from the initial contact.”

According to the probable cause statement, Ryan unlocked the car door, opened it and ordered Hogard to step out of the car. Hogard allegedly refused and grabbed the steering wheel, preventing the officers from pulling him from the car.

“I utilized the ‘B’ pillar of the car to create an arm bar on [Hogard’s] left arm and pry him out of the vehicle. Deputy Ryan grabbed his right arm and [Hogard] began fighting us by trying to pull away and wedge himself in the vehicle.”

Rhoades said the officers were able to pull Hogard from the car after a brief struggle, placed him on the ground to handcuff him. Hogard allegedly continued to pull his hands away from the officers until the officers were able to place him in handcuffs. Hogard was also patted down for weapons.

Hogard is charged with the class D felony of possession of a controlled substance, the class E felony of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia amphetamine or methamphetamine and misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, willfully failing/refusing to obey or resisting/opposing law enforcement officer or firefighter and DWI.

He remains in the Ozark County Jail and is set to appear in Ozark County Associate Court at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 2.