Court digest 3/27/02

Cape man gets 5 years on drug charge

A Cape Girardeau man who admitted to running a meth lab out of his auto body shop was sentenced to five years in prison Monday.

Robert H. James, 39, pleaded guilty to a felony count of attempting to manufacture methamphetamine.

On June 20, police with a search warrant found numerous items used in the production of meth at James' auto body shop at 162 E. Cape Rock Drive.

James said he acquired the items for the purpose of making meth.

Cape man pleads guilty to weapons charges

Kevin W. Brown, 29, pleaded guilty Monday to one felony count of being a previously convicted felon in possession of firearms.

Brown was convicted May 20, 1991 for second-degree burglary.

On May 11, police with a federal search warrant, searched Brown's home on Arikara Lane for firearms.

Police found seven guns and about 2,000 rounds of ammunition.

Brown faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. Sentencing is set for June 24.

Naylor man gets 7 years for meth

A Naylor, Mo., man was sentenced this week to 7 years in prison for manufacturing methamphetamine.

George Washington Slayton Jr., 34, appeared Monday before U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber and admitted that on Sept. 27, 2000, he allowed police to search his truck and mobile home.

During the search, police found numerous items used in the production of methamphetamine, as well as two shotguns and four rifles.

Local man pleads guilty after gun found

When his furniture was repossessed and store workers found a .357 magnum in the cushions, police confronted Jermaine Lammar Lathern.

The Cape man pleaded guilty Monday to being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Lathern was convicted Oct. 20, 1997 for felony delivery of a controlled substance.

On Feb. 8, 2001, Prime Time Rental repossessed leased furniture from Lathern's home and found the gun, which the store turned over to police.

Lathern admitted the gun was his and that he paid $100 for it.

A records check revealed the gun was stolen Oct. 8, 2000, during a burglary in Anna, Ill.

Lathern faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. Sentencing is set for June 24.

-- From staff reports