Crime News

Jury trials will remain suspended until at least Oct. 31, according to a court order issued Wednesday by Presiding Judge Benjamin F. Lewis. The court order extended the Phase Two operational directives for all circuit, associate circuit and municipal divisions of the 32nd Judicial Circuit. The directives may be extended again unless the incidence of COVID-19 decreases significantly from the current level...

Another person has been taken into custody in connection with a July 20 murder in Cape Girardeau According to a news release from the Cape Girardeau Police Department, Clarence J. Smith was apprehended in Newport, Arkansas, last Thursday. Smith, 28, of Cape Girardeau was the fourth person arrested in connection with the killing. Friday, Jaden Young, 20, of Cape Girardeau turned himself in to the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office...

Authorities are searching for “multiple suspects” who burglarized a Cape Girardeau County firearms business late last week. A news release issued Monday by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office said JSE Surplus on Highway 74, west of Cape Girardeau, was entered at about 5:30 a.m. Friday...

Felony charges have been filed against an armed man who stood in the middle of Interstate 55 while holding his 11-month-old son hostage. Alonzo Jones Jr., 34, of Cape Girardeau is charged with one Class B felony of first-degree domestic assault, one Class D felony of unlawful possession of a firearm, one Class E felony of unlawful use of a weapon and one Class D felony of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, according to an arrest warrant filed by Cape Girardeau County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Angel Woodruff and signed by Judge Frank E. Miller ...

Four of five suspects in the July 20 homicide of Anthony Miller are now in police custody. Jaden T. Young, 20, of Cape Girardeau was booked into the Cape Girardeau County Jail on Friday on an active warrant for second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree attempted robbery and two counts of armed criminal action. He is being held on a $1 million cash-only bond...

A third suspect has been arrested in connection to the murder of 21-year-old Anthony Miller, according to a Wednesday news release from the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Derrick D. Stafford, 20, of Mounds, Illinois, was peacefully taken into custody Tuesday on an active warrant for second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree attempted robbery and two counts of armed criminal action. He is being held in the Cape Girardeau County Jail on a $1 million cash-only bond...

Thomas Q. Bean was taken into custody Friday night as part of an ongoing investigation into the Dec. 11 homicide of Richard Reeves, according to the Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Officers located Bean inside of a residence in the 1100 block of South Sprigg Street and peacefully arrested him without incident, according to a Monday news release. ...

Members of the Cape Girardeau Police Department respond to the 400 block of Bellevue Street for a report of breaking and entering Monday in Cape Girardeau. ...

After more than a week of investigation into the July 20 homicide of 21-year-old Anthony Miller, the Cape Girardeau/Bollinger County Major Case Squad disbanded last week following the arrest of 40-year-old suspect Robert E. Simmons Jr. and 32-year-old suspect Brandon M. Pratt...

Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver announced Friday that Judge Benjamin Lewis has sentenced Steven McWhirter to three life sentences, two to be served concurrently and one consecutively. Oliver said in a phone interview Friday that by state law, McWhirter is required to serve 85% of the sentences before he would be eligible for parole — in this case, 51 years...

The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office has posted an alert via Facebook about a telephone scam aimed at bilking residents out of money. “We’ve received half a dozen calls since Tuesday morning,” Sheriff Ruth Ann Dickerson said. “The scam may seem legit because the name of one of our employees is being used,” she added...

With one suspect already in custody and charges filed against a second, a third suspect was arrested Monday in connection to the July 20 homicide of Anthony Miller. Robert E. Simmons Jr., 40, of Cape Girardeau was peacefully taken into custody Monday afternoon on charges for one Class A felony count of second-degree murder; two unclassified felony counts of armed criminal action; one Class B felony count of first-degree burglary; one class B felony count of first-degree attempted robbery and one Class D felony count of unlawful possession of a weapon. ...

A 23-year-old man is now in custody at the Cape Girardeau County Jail after being found in possession of a Glock 17 9mm firearm, a digital scale, nearly 40 grams of marijuana and more than 400 grams of methamphetamine. Demetrius L. McGee of Cairo, Illinois, is charged with one Class B felony count of second-degree trafficking, one Class D felony count of unlawful possession of a firearm and one Class E felony count of unlawful use of a weapon, according to an arrest warrant requested by Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Welker and issued Saturday. ...

About an hour after a homicide occurred in the 400 block of Sheridan Drive early Monday morning, police responded to a report of shots fired at a gas station in the 500 block of South Sprigg Street in Cape Girardeau. Police responded to the shots fired report at 1:51 a.m. and located witnesses at the scene who described the incident, Cape Girardeau police Sgt. Joey Hann stated via text message Tuesday...

About four hours after a victim was repeatedly stabbed Friday morning in Bollinger County, the suspect was located by a Bollinger County sheriff’s deputy and apprehended in connection with the crime. Court documents show Zachary Howard, 25, of Cape Girardeau has been charged with one Class A felony count of first-degree assault and one unclassified felony count of armed criminal action in relation to the incident...

An investigation is underway into a shooting that injured one person Friday in Cape Girardeau. At approximately 9 p.m., police were notified suspects fired multiple rounds at a Chevrolet Tahoe that was stopped on Good Hope and Benton streets, according to a news release by police Sgt. Joey Hann. The driver was hit in the leg and was treated at a local hospital, and was later released...

A 45-year-old Marble Hill, Missouri, man was booked into the Cape Girardeau County Jail on Wednesday on sex crime charges. Everette E. Looney, 45, now faces one unclassified felony count of first-degree statutory rape and two unclassified felony counts of first-degree statutory sodomy for allegedly having knowing, deviate sexual intercourse with a child less than 12 years old, according to an arrest warrant ...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Police are investigating an incident in Charleston where a drive-through customer pulled a gun on an employee. An officer with Charleston Department of Public Safety investigated an assault on July 5 at McDonald's restaurant involving a firearm, according to DPS Director Robert Hearnes. A customer in the drive-thru pulled a handgun on an employee, Hearnes said in DPS' weekly summary...

A 25-year-old man was arrested July 9 after allegedly crawling out of the woods and attempting to break into a Cape Girardeau County home, then resisting arrest, according to a probable-cause statement filed by Cape Girardeau County sheriff’s deputy Aaron Harris...

O’FALLON, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers will reconvene later this month to consider ways to stem the escalating violence that has become especially deadly in St. Louis and Kansas City, Gov. Mike Parson announced Wednesday. The special session starting July 27 will be singularly focused on violent crime. But unlike some other states that are considering police reforms in the wake of racial injustice protests, Missouri lawmakers will focus on measures that could strengthen laws and put more people behind bars. The leader of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus said he was disappointed police reform is not on the table.

Tiran L. Hemphill, 42, of Cape Girardeau was arrested and booked into police custody Monday for allegedly shooting his girlfriend during a May 28 argument. The incident was one of three shootings to occur overnight in Cape Girardeau during an 8-hour period May 27 and 28...

An adult, male victim was transported to a local hospital Monday night in Cape Girardeau after being shot in the thigh by a handgun, according to police Sgt. Joey Hann. Hann stated the shooting is believed to have occurred in an alley behind 16 N. Henderson Ave...

Nearly two years after taking gunfire during a harrowing Poplar Bluff, Missouri, warrant arrest in 2018, the seven officers who endured the encounter were recognized Thursday outside of the Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. Federal Courthouse in Cape Girardeau. ...

Opening ceremonies for the Jackson Police Department’s new headquarters next week will not include building tours, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a ribbon-cutting and remarks by various officials will still take place as scheduled at 10 a.m. July 17 outside the new police facility, 202 W. Jackson Blvd...

Cedric Charles Moore Jr., 27, of Cape Girardeau surrendered himself into police custody Wednesday afternoon at the Scott County Sheriff’s Office in Benton, Missouri, according to Cape Girardeau police Sgt. Joey Hann. Moore faces felony charges of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree assault...