A Missouri man was charged last week following several sidewalk chalk messages written and other alleged actions taken in response to a child custody case at the Monroe County Courthouse.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department stated in a news release that it detained a man who wrote several sidewalk chalk messages at various locations throughout the city of Waterloo. One of these locations was the Monroe County Courthouse, where police said the incident took place shortly after 10 p.m. last Tuesday.

On the evening of that incident, the Waterloo Police Department requested assistance from the MCSD regarding an individual seen writing messages on sidewalks around the courthouse. The press release states that during an interaction with deputies, the man claimed these messages were an exercise of his First Amendment right, as they referenced an ongoing child custody court proceeding in which he was involved.

This man expressed dissatisfaction with the attorney representing the other party in the court case, that attorney being Natalie Steppig, who also serves as city attorney for the City of Waterloo but was not representing the city in this capacity.

Following the initial interaction, the MCSD said this individual was released with advice to pursue legal options within the court system.

The following day, the MCSD said courthouse security observed additional chalk messages at the courthouse – even after previous markings had been removed. Deputies identified the man again and, during their conversation, the attorney who was referenced in the chalk messages arrived to conduct business matters. The man “escalated the situation by causing a disturbance,” the MCSD stated in its news release.

Upon further investigation, the MCSD determined that over 20 similar messages had been written – including at locations such as Waterloo Junior High School, where the attorney’s children attend. These messages allegedly contained references to Steppig’s family – including her children, police said.

In response, Steppig filed a formal complaint with the Monroe County State’s Attorney’s Office. The MCSD took on the investigation to avoid any conflict of interest due to the attorney’s professional ties to the City of Waterloo.

Following a comprehensive investigation, the MCSD presented its findings to the Monroe County State’s Attorney’s Office.

As a result, James Milburn, 46, of Imperial, Mo., was charged with two counts of stalking (transmits threat, cause fear for safety), both Class 4 felonies.

Milburn was transported to the Monroe County Jail in Waterloo pending a pretrial hearing on Friday. He was denied pretrial release and remains in custody at the jail.

“The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department reviewed the defendant’s claim that his sidewalk chalk messages were protected under the First Amendment’s right to freedom of speech,” MCSD Sgt. Justin Biggs said. “However, investigators clarified that while the First Amendment protects freedom of speech, it does not extend to speech intended to harass or intimidate others in a public setting. Using sidewalk chalk in a manner intended to target or disturb another individual, particularly in a harassing or inflammatory way, falls outside the scope of constitutionally protected speech.”

The MCSD further stated in its press release that it encourages the public to rely on verified information before sharing details on social media, especially in sensitive legal matters such as this.

“Investigators recognize that civil and child custody court proceedings can evoke strong emotions. In light of this, they conducted a thorough review of all relevant legal matters to ensure a balanced and fair assessment of the situation,” Biggs said.

On Thursday, the Republic-Times spoke with a woman who said she is the girlfriend of the man charged in this incident. She said her boyfriend was upset that Steppig allegedly used nude photos of her as evidence in the child custody case.

When asked by this paper whether Milburn may have also been seen in these photos used in court, the woman replied that “the other party’s face was censored out so they didn’t even know whose photos they were sharing.”

She also alleged these photos, supposedly from an internet content subscription service known as OnlyFans, were used in court without her consent. 

The girlfriend also denies Milburn observed Steppig while chalking sidewalks outside of the courthouse to create what police termed as a disturbance.