Court briefs 6/20/06

Trial set for father who left child home alone

A trial date was set Monday for a man accused of failing to tell arresting police officers his 2-year-old daughter was home alone. Richard B. Stemmerick, 37, of 509 Bellevue St., was charged with misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child. When arrested April 13 on an out-of-state warrant for a traffic violation, Stemmerick failed to tell officers that his daughter was home by herself at the time, according to a probable cause statement. The girl was later found by a family member 18 hours after the defendant's arrest. She was in her crib with no food or water. A bench trial before Associate Circuit Judge Gary A. Kamp was set for 1 p.m. July 13, according to a court official.

Accused child molester enters guilty plea

A Cape Girardeau man pleaded guilty Monday to charges of molesting a 12-year-old girl in 2005. Tracy L. Dunn, 39, of 1530 N. Water St., entered his plea of guilty to two counts of felony child molestation during an appearance before Circuit Court Judge William Syler, according to a court official. Dunn is accused of molesting the girl on two occasions in 2005, according to a probable cause statement. Sentencing before Syler was scheduled for Aug. 7.