A St Joseph man is behind bars on a misdemeanor charge of harassment, after allegedly threatening to assault a neighbor several times while calling the victim racial slurs. According to court documents, the defendant even repeated those threats to dispatchers.

Keith Taylor, 53, is charged with one misdemeanor count of harassment. He’s being held in the Buchanan County Jail, unable to post $7,500 bail.

The charge springs from a long string of threats and unfruitful contacts with police.  According to a sworn court affidavit, Mr Taylor threatened to assault the victim with a metal pipe, while calling the victim racial slurs. The incident May 10 was at least the third time police had been called for this type of behavior.

According to the affidavit, Mr Taylor was advised by officers that if he continued to harass the victim in this manner he would be arrested for it.

Investigators say the defendant called 9-1-1 three separate times and threatened the victim.

Online court records indicate Mr Taylor has served 15 days in jail for an assault case in 2007.    He’s schedule to appear in court Friday.