A northwest Missouri man will spend time behind bars after pleading guilty to a lesser charge in a playground bullying case.

32-year-old Justin Metcalf of Barnard pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for assault in the third degree Wednesday and will spend three days behind bars starting July 17 including credit for 13 hours already served.

As we previously reported, Metcalf was charged in March after a confrontation on the South Nodaway School District playground with a 13-year-old boy.

Court documents state Metcalf pleaded guilty to a charge that he purposely placed the child in apprehension of immediate physical injury at a school playground, then using his body pushed the child a short distance while the child extended his arm to keep Metcalf’s chest from touching his body, then Metcalf pursued the child by walking after him after the child left the playground.

Nodaway County Prosecuting Attorney, Robert Rice said surveillance footage of the incident was capture by a school camera on the playground.

“He shoved him and then pursued him,” Rice said. “It was enough.”

Rice said Metcalf tried to justify his behavior by claiming the boy told his 4-year-old daughter to “*expletive* back off.”

“There were several other boys there,” Rice said. “They said they were playing baseball down there and she wanted to play so they offered to set a tee up for her and she didn’t want to so she got mad and left.”

Rice said Metcalf was the only one claiming that the kid had said that to his daughter.

“It wouldn’t be any legal justification to go out there and behave the way he did,” Rice said.

Metcalf has prior convictions for stealing and disturbing the peace, both in 2011 in Nodaway County.