Authorities in Columbia say a man already behind bars is now accused of plotting to hire a hitman. Prosecutors have charged 36-year-old Nikolaus Harvey of Columbia with conspiracy to commit a Class A felony.

Investigators say Harvey, while jailed in Boone County, offered another inmate $5,000 to kill a Columbia police detective who had investigated him in a series of car burglaries.

That inmate instead alerted authorities, handing over a map and note Harvey allegedly provided. Police say Harvey later used a code phrase in a recorded call to what he believed was a hitman.

Harvey denies the allegations. and was moved to the Phelps County Jail on Tuesday, where he is currently being held, according to jail records.