Briefly

Zalma men get court dates for alleged theft

ZALMA, Mo. -- Charged with second-degree felony burglary, two Zalma men have March 1 court dates before Circuit Judge Benjamin Lewis. The burglary charge carries a maximum 15-year prison term. Curtis W. Wallace, 17, and Nickolas J. Jackson, 20, are accused of stealing about 600 pounds of copper wire from a storage shed in Zalma in October. Both had their court dates continued Thursday. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The suspects allegedly sold the wire for about $330 to a Cape Girardeau salvage yard, according to the probable-cause statement. Bollinger County chief deputy Leo McElrath said the theft was reported Oct. 31. The suspects allegedly took the wire, stripping it of its insulation before selling it, according to the probable-cause statement. Investigators searched the property where the men allegedly removed the insulation and found only a pile of ashes, the burned remains of the wire coating, the statement said.

Alleged home burglar arrested in Whitewater

An 18-year-old Whitewater man was arrested Wednesday night as he reportedly attempted to leave a house he had burglarized and was stopped by the homeowner. Cape Girardeau Sheriff's Department Lt. David James said Ryan J. Cruz was allegedly leaving the residence with the homeowner's shotgun when the homeowner pulled into the driveway and stopped him. Cruz reportedly took off on foot and was later apprehended by deputies in his home nearby, James said. James said Cruz was and the homeowner knew each other. Cruz is charged with second-degree burglary and stealing, both felonies. He was released on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear before Associate Circuit Judge Gary Kamp on Monday.

Area man in custody for alleged assault

A 36-year-old East Prairie, Mo., man is in custody Friday in Cape Girardeau County Jail. Lt. David James said East Prairie police Friday picked up Terry L. Dean, wanted on a $500,000 warrant for first-degree assault, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action, and turned him over to the sheriff's department. Dean is accused of assaulting and robbing a man in his Pocahontas residence Wednesday night, James said. The victim was transported to Saint Francis Medical Center in serious condition with a skull fracture and other injuries. James said Dean was reportedly an acquaintance of the victim and allegedly beat him with an object during a dispute between the two men. The victim said money was stolen at the time of the assault, James said.

-- From staff reports

1970 Missouri double murder case reopened

Dunklin County Major Case Squad commander Walter Dearing is reheating a 37-year-old double murder case with the hopes that modern DNA technology might crack the case and catch a killer. The investigator is piecing together the puzzle surrounding the June 20, 1970, shooting deaths of Alan Bryan Bradford, who was a 20-year Marine at the time of his murder, and Mary Lou Suettor, a 17-year-old Kansas City, Mo., runaway who landed in a St. Louis "home for wayward girls," Dearing said. Theodore Kleine, then 19, and his brother, Dennis Kleine, then 18, both of St. Louis, were arrested after the bodies of Bradford and Suettor were found in the St. Francis River with gunshots to the head. Theodore Kleine's trial ended in a mistrial, and prosecutors dropped the charge against Dennis Kleine, Dearing said. The case never was retried, Dearing added. Theodore Kleine's bloody clothing, found intact in a Missouri State Highway Patrol evidence locker, may be key in finding the murderer, Dearing said. Dearing will try DNA testing to determine if Theodore Williams is a suspect.

-- Daily Dunklin Democrat