Court briefs 7/12/06

Jury convicts suspected Cape drug dealer

A jury took less than an hour Tuesday to convict a suspected Cape Girardeau drug dealer. Dale J. Howard, of 259 N. Park St., was found guilty of felony second-degree drug trafficking following about 40 minutes of jury deliberations Tuesday night, according to assistant prosecuting attorney Brent Nelson. Two women arrested during a Dec. 6 traffic stop at Sprigg and Themis streets pleaded guilty to possession of controlled substance and named Howard as selling them the drugs. Sentencing information for Howard was not immediately available Tuesday night.

Warrant issued for man who missed court date

A warrant was issued for the arrest of a man accused of burglarizing a Jackson home when he failed to appear in court Tuesday. Associate Circuit Judge Gary A. Kamp ordered Charles E. Depauw held in lieu of a $20,000 cash-only bond when arrested, according to a court clerk. Depauw, 23, of 401 Fort St., was charged with felony burglary and misdemeanor stealing and had been scheduled to appear before Kamp Tuesday for a preliminary hearing. The defendant is accused of breaking into the home of his girlfriend's sister at 4012 E. Jackson Blvd. on June 10 and stealing a Kodak Easyshare printer dock and photo printing paper, according to a probable-cause statement in the case. Both the paper and printer dock were returned to Wal-Mart in Cape Girardeau for a $186.68 refund.

Cairo, Ill., man bound over to circuit court

One of two men charged in a drug deal in Cape Girardeau was bound over to Circuit Court. Terrance O. Gardner, 22, of Cairo, Ill., waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Associate Circuit Judge Gary A. Kamp on Tuesday. Kamp scheduled Gardner to appear in Circuit Court at 9 a.m. July 24 before Judge Benjamin Lewis. Gardner and co-defednant Manuel L. Landa, 38, of 116 N. Henderson Ave., were arrested June 14 when a police officer smelled marijuana and saw seeds in their vehicle on the 1000 block of Bloomfield Street, police said. Both men were charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana, and Gardner was charged with felony distribution of crack cocaine and Landa was charged with felony possession of crack. Gardner, the passenger in the vehicle, told officers he was homeless and was selling drugs to eat and have a place to live, a probable-cause statement filed in the case said. He was being held in lieu of a $25,000 bond. Landa is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday.

-- From staff reports