A Jackson man is accused of dropping a fellow bar patron with one punch and kicking the man when he was on the ground.

The suspect’s motivation was he overheard the other man making fun of suicide, according to a probable-cause statement filed by Cape Girardeau police.

Justin Bradley Thele, 21, was arrested Thursday night by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

He is charged with first-degree assault because he is accused of knowingly causing serious injuries to the victim, including a concussion, skull fracture and subdural hematoma.

First-degree assault is a class A felony; if convicted, Thele would face 10 years in prison.

Thele and Robert Weir were at the Whiskey River bar in Cape Girardeau on June 12, according to the probable-cause statement by Cape Girardeau detective Joe Thomas.

Police conducted a follow-up interview in the hospital with Weir, who said he remembered talking with a group of people and making jokes about suicide, Thomas wrote.

Weir said he left the bar with a female patron about midnight, according to the statement.

A witness said Thele approached them at Weir’s vehicle.

“I don’t think your joke is funny,” the witness told Thomas, quoting Thele. “My cousin died of suicide. It ain’t funny.”

After that comment, Thele struck Weir in the face with what the witness described as a right hook, and Weir fell to the ground. The witness saw him kick Weir as he was down, Thomas wrote.

“She pushed Thele back and told him to get a sense of humor,” Thomas wrote.

Thele drove away in a red Ford Mustang, according to the statement. When police arrived, Weir was lying on the ground and appeared to be unconscious, Thomas wrote.

The next day, Weir remembered yelling but did not remember anything else before waking up in the hospital, according to the statement.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address: 1444 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO