A St. Joseph man accused of shooting at two men trying to recover a stolen vehicle is now charged as a prior offender, and faces enhanced penalties if convicted.

Zacharay Bixby is charged with unlawful use of a weapon, a class-b felony, but prosecutors upped the stakes on Friday, filing an amended complaint accusing him of being a prior offender.

According to court documents, Bixby was spotted at a business on King Hill Ave. by two people who said they knew the vehicle he was driving was stolen. As we reported, the witnesses pursued the vehicle to the 9000 block of U.S. Highway 59 on April 8. Bixby allegedly pulled the vehicle over, got out and fired several shots at the witnesses. One shot hit the hood of the witnesses’ vehicle.

He then allegedly fled on foot to a nearby house, where investigators said he threatened the homeowner and took a pickup truck. That vehicle got stuck in the mud in a nearby field and Bixby was arrested.

According to the amended complaint, Bixby has a prior felony conviction in 2012 on a charge of possession of a controlled substance .

During a court hearing on Friday, Bixby’s attorney waived the defendant’s right to a preliminary hearing. Associate Judge Keith Marquart bound Bixby over for trial in Circuit Court. He is being held without bail pending his circuit court arraignment May 15 before Circuit Judge Patrick Robb.

Bixby is also charged in Clay County with trying to run down a uniformed police officer after an alleged shoplifting incident at a store in Gladstone, Mo. As we reported, he is charged with a class-a felony of robbery, plus armed criminal action, in Clay County.