Argument escalates when man allegedly pulls firearm in Cape Girardeau

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., (KBSI) — A Cape Girardeau man was arrested Sunday afternoon following a disturbance involving a firearm, police said.

Officers with the Cape Girardeau Police Department were called at about 4:45 p.m. Feb. 1 to the 1500 block of Whitener Street for a reported disturbance involving a weapon. When officers arrived, they saw the suspect, identified as Shawn Seabaugh, 51, exiting a residence and took him into custody.

Police said Seabaugh appeared to be possibly under the influence of alcohol based on his behavior. Witnesses reported hearing an argument between Seabaugh and others outside a residence, during which Seabaugh allegedly said he was going inside to retrieve a firearm.

Officers reviewed surveillance video that showed Seabaugh exiting his residence, removing a firearm from his waistband, pointing it toward the sky and then placing it back in his waistband, police said. Officers later located the firearm, which was unloaded, along with a loaded magazine nearby.

Seabaugh was taken to the Cape Girardeau Police Department and later charged by the Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with unlawful use of a weapon, a Class E felony. He is being held on a $15,000 surety bond.

Authorities noted that charges are allegations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.