A man accused of shooting at witnesses who say they spotted him in a stolen car will remain in jail as he awaits his next court appearance.  As we reported, Zachary Bixby is charged with unlawful use of a weapon after the incident on U.S.Highway 59 on April 8.

Court documents filed in the case assert that Bixby and another man were spotted at a business on King Hill Ave. by two witnesses, who said they knew the vehicle he was driving was stolen.

The witnesses pursued the vehicle to a location in the 9000 block of south 59 Highway, but the vehicle had pulled over and several shots were fired at the witnesses’ vehicle. According to the probable cause affidavit, one round hit the vehicle on the hood.

Bixby then allegedly fled on foot to a residence nearby, entered the home, threatened the homeowner at gunpoint, and took a pickup truck. He allegedly drove into a field where the truck got stuck in the mud. Investigators say Bixby was arrested a shot time later and a search turned up a handgun.

The other man was arrested but has not been charged.

This is not Bixby’s first brush with the law.  He has been booked into the Buchanan County Jail several times, on charges including parole violation, possession of a controlled substance, and failure to appear.

During Bixby’s first court appearance on Tuesday, Buchanan County Associate Circuit Judge Keith Marquart denied bail, ruling that the defendant continues to pose a danger to the community. Judge Marquart entered a plea of not guilty and scheduled a preliminary hearing April 28 at 11 a.m. Bixby will apply for a public defender.

Bixby is also charged in Clay County with first-degree robbery and armed criminal action after a shoplifting incident in Gladstone. Court documents in that case accuse him of trying to drive another stolen vehicle into a uniformed police officer trying to apprehend him.  Click here for more.