Cape Girardeau man in jail on murder charge accused of marijuana possession

A Cape Girardeau man in custody at the Cape Girardeau County Jail for the alleged murder of his infant son is facing new felony charges after deputies reportedly found him in possession of marijuana.

Allen R. Walker Jr., who has been in jail since his August arrest, is charged with possession of a controlled substance at a county jail.

Capt. James Mulcahy said Wednesday that deputies made the discovery April 22 when releasing another inmate, Daniel McBrant. A corrections officer saw McBrant slide something under the door to another cell, according to an affidavit filed with the court.

After placing McBrant back in a different cell, deputy David Goehman went into the other cell, where Walker and another inmate were sitting. In a desk drawer, Goehman found rolled up paper, a cotton ball and a lighter. Two joints were found in the rolled-up pouch of paper, according to Goehman's probable-cause statement.

McBrant was serving a six-month sentence after having his probation revoked in November. He was charged with third-degree domestic assault in 2007.

McBrant has also been charged with possession of a controlled substance in a county jail. Both men's cases were bound over for trial at hearings Tuesday.

A jury is set to begin hearing testimony Oct. 12 in Jackson on Walker's pending second-degree murder and child endangerment charges. Police have accused Walker of causing fatal injuries to his 7-week-son, who died Aug. 26 at a hospital in St. Louis.

Walker's jury trial was first set for March, but less than a week before it was scheduled to begin he asked the judge presiding over his case, Benjamin F. Lewis, for time to hire a new attorney.

A Wednesday hearing has been set to determine whether jury selection will still take place in Scott County and if the trial will remain in Jackson. Judge Benjamin F. Lewis, who is presiding over the case, had previously agreed to have jury selection in Scott County per the request of Walker's former attorney.

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