Region digest 05/30/04

Cape Girardeau man held on rape charge

A Cape Girardeau man has been arrested in connection with the reported rape of a juvenile girl Friday afternoon. Fred Lee Harris Sr., 51, of 330 Estate Drive, was charged with rape and is being held on a cash bond of $100,000. Cape Girardeau police said the girl reported to them around 4 p.m. Friday that a man grabbed her off the street and raped her. To protect the victim's identity, police would not say exactly where the incident took place, only that it was in the southeastern part of the city. The victim was treated at a local hospital.

Woman pleads guilty in embezzlement scheme

ST. LOUIS -- A woman has pleaded guilty to embezzling $1.8 million from her Southeast Missouri employer. Andrea Buchanan, 46, of Kansas City and formerly of Lilbourn in New Madrid County, pleaded guilty last week to federal felony counts of passing forged securities and making false statements on tax returns. Sentencing will be Aug. 26. Buchanan worked in the payroll office at Plastene Supply Co. in Portageville, a division of Seigel-Roberts Inc., from 1978 to February 2002. From 1998 through 2001, Buchanan created more than 1,200 fraudulent vacation payroll checks payable to employees of the company, then forged the employees' signatures, signed her own name as the second endorsee and cashed the checks, U.S. Attorney Ray Gruender said.-- From staff, wire reports