Inmate tells alleged victim she must speak in 'code'

NOTICE|

It never ceases to amaze me what incriminating things defendants say in phone calls from the Greene County Jail, knowing that those calls are recorded and made available to police and prosecutors.

How do detainees know they are being recorded?

It's simple. A recorded voice message informs them of this during the phone call itself. Both parties, the detainee and his interlocutor, are informed of the recording.

However, defendant Alexander Hobart, 31, of Bolivar, thought he could get around that problem by trying to convince the woman he is accused of choking not to testify against him in court.

Hobart thought he could outsmart those listening by speaking in “code” and giving the woman you're using a fake name.

At some point she had to ask him, “What am I supposed to call you?” »

As a result, Hobart is not only charged with second-degree assault, but he also faces a charge of tampering or attempting to tamper with a victim in a felony prosecution. Both are class D felonies under Missouri law.

A class D felony is punishable by up to seven years in prison. The court can also impose a fine of up to $10,000.

Colleague Jackie Rehwald, who covers the courts for the Springfield Daily Citizen, alerted me to probable cause for the original charge, which stems from an alleged Feb. 27 assault in Greene County, and the accusation subsequent falsification of the journal. witness.

At the time of his arrest, Hobart was on parole. He had been charged with first-degree assault in Polk County, but did not go to prison. He was given a suspended sentence of execution and placed on probation, online records show.

But Hobart violated the terms of his probation by failing to register as a sex offender and was in prison from Oct. 21, 2022, to Aug. 11, 2023, according to a Missouri Department of Corrections spokesperson.

Additionally, Hobart is on the Missouri State Highway Patrol's sex offender registry for a 2013 criminal sexual abuse conviction in Livingston County, Illinois. At the time of the events, he was 20 years old and the victim was 15 years old.

Pressure put on victims of domestic violence not to testify

The court document includes disjointed excerpts — not the entire conversations — from nine different phone calls between Hobart and the woman he is accused of choking. The calls were made from March 4 to April 16.

The conversations are filled with obscenities – mainly the F-bomb – from both. I have redacted the swear words in this column.

The excerpts reveal the widespread pressure placed on victims of domestic violence not to cooperate with prosecutors.

During phone calls, Hobart sometimes has to remind the woman to speak in code and not use her real name.

Hobart: “If I'm charged with this servant here in Greene County, I'll go back there for a parole violation. …If I don't do it…The project is abandoned…I won't go to prison.

Victim: “And that’s why you’re so nice.” …What the hell am I supposed to call you? »

“That's the only thing that hurts me, you do what you did (we're not even going to talk about it.) I can handle that. But the fact that you (expletive) lied about who you were. And why are you on parole? That’s what (expletive) hurts me. You can physically hurt me, well supposedly, do whatever you want to me, except the fact that you (expletive) lied to me. And you had charges for something. What (expletive) did I do to you?

Hobart: “Nothing. …Why are you coming to court tomorrow? Hmmm.”

Victim: “Is that all you want from me?”

Hobart: “No.”

Victim: “Should I take my (expletive) back?”

Hobart: “Don’t say that on that phone.”

Victim: “No, it's (an expletive), because you already lied to me once, and now what are you talking about like I'm supposed to drop my accusations.”

Hobart: “What are you doing? Don't say (expletive) like that. What's wrong with you? I'm talking to 'Katie'. I'm not talking to you. Lady, you're going to get me in trouble.

Victim: “I know because of what you allegedly did to me. I said “apparently.”

Hobart: “To 'Katie'.”

Victim: “Yes, what did you do to 'Katie'.”

Hobart: “You must know how to speak, ma’am.”

Pay attention, “I'm going to say it in code”

Hobart: “You're going to really have to be careful how I say certain things later.” I can't say it over the phone but you're just going to have to listen because I'm going to say it in code. There are certain things that will happen.

“Even if the state did it, if she didn't come to the preliminary session, there would be nothing – from what people here tell me – if she didn't come to the preliminary session, so they don't 'would have nothing. … We just hope she doesn't show up. That's it.”

Victim: “I don’t know what she’s going to do.”

Hobart: “So look at this, one of the guys I spoke to here has the same accusation, everything is the same. He went to his first preliminaries today and they rejected him. It came out today. So, best case scenario.

Victim: “Best case scenario.”

Hobart: “Because she didn’t, uh, I guess the victim didn’t show up.”

Victim: “They came to my work today.”

Hobart: “But it’s your (expletive) choice. We've talked about this so many times before. I can't tell you what to do. I'm not going to tell you what to do. But I can say what I'm going to do.

Victim: “You’ve told me many times what I’m going to do.”

Hobart: “Every choice has – remember, we talked about how we say it – every choice you make has a reaction.”

Victim: “Every action has a reaction.”

Hobart: “Every choice you make has a reaction from me. Correct? And that's all I'm going to say.

Victim: “And vice versa.”

Hobart: “There is no reason why we should still have the same (exhaustive) conversation that we had before. Isn’t that (expletive) changed. Nothing will change. That's what it is. They make fun of you. Come on then. Use your head. …I just hope you make the right choice. I guess I'll see if you really care about me and if you really love me.

Here Pokin Around column n°187.

MORE FROM THE SPRINGFIELD DAILY CITIZEN

“Living in Fear”, an investigative series