GRAND JURY IN SCOTT COUNTY BRINGS WORK TO CONCLUSION

BENTON -- The first grand jury in Scott County in nearly 20 years has concluded its six-month term, but another grand jury could be convened this fall, the county's prosecutor said Tuesday.

And the term of a Mississippi County grand jury, which has been meeting for six months, has been extended for 60 days at the request of a special prosecutor.

Scott County Prosecuting Attorney David Dolan said he and Circuit Judge Tony Heckemeyer have discussed the possibility of convening another grand jury.

"The judge asked me the other day if I wanted another one, and I told him we would probably need one this fall," said Dolan.

The grand juries in Scott and Mississippi counties were convened in late January. Heckemeyer discharged the Scott County grand jury last Thursday. But he said Tuesday that he signed an order last week extending the term of the Mississippi County grand jury.

Heckemeyer said the extension was requested by special prosecutor Robert Fuchs of Sikeston. The judge said the Mississippi County grand jury, among other things, has been investigating a "chop-shop" operation centered in East Prairie.

Prior to January, Scott County had not had a grand jury empaneled since Dec. 14, 1972; Mississippi County had not had a grand jury since 1979.

Heckemeyer praised the work of both grand juries. "They have worked very well," he said.

Dolan said he was pleased with the work of the Scott County grand jury. Mark French, Mississippi County's prosecutor, was out of town and could not be reached to comment on the grand jury proceedings in that county.

Dolan said the Scott County jury of 12 regular jurors and two alternates met 10 times over the past six months.

The grand jury indicted 60 or 70 individuals, he said. Many of the individuals were charged with multiple counts. In all, the grand jury considered 127 separate charges.

"They varied anywhere from felony drug charges to misdemeanor stealing charges," said Dolan. "They ran the whole gamut: they had everything from child abuse to sexual abuse cases, to drugs, to stealing, to burglary."

Many of the indictments involved drug charges stemming from arrests made last November as a result of a nine-month undercover drug trafficking investigation in Southeast Missouri.

Both the Scott and Mississippi County grand juries have handled a number of cases stemming from the drug arrests, officials said. Most of the arrests occurred in Sikeston and Charleston.

Dolan said that most of the drug cases in Scott County were handled by the grand jury "because some of the persons involved in those cases are still actively involved in undercover investigations."

He said that the Scott County grand jury spent long hours in session. "Some nights they would come in at 7 o'clock and I would turn them loose at midnight. They worked hard."

Dolan said the jurors "got an indepth understanding of how the criminal justice system works. They requested a copy of the county budget and reviewed county facilities."

He said that one of the grand jurors, when discharged, told the judge that "it was an eye-opening experience."

The grand jury system is a useful tool for prosecutors, said Dolan. "The prosecutor can tell when he has a good case or a bad case."

In addition, grand jury indictments allow prosecutors to bypass the preliminary hearing stage.

Dolan said the grand jury system expedited the handling of cases in Scott County. "Some nights I could do 20 cases, whereas, if I had to do 20 preliminary hearings, that could take three weeks."

While another grand jury might be convened this fall, Dolan said he doesn't advocate establishing a standing grand jury.

He said the Scott County prosecutor's office doesn't have the manpower to handle a full-time grand jury. "We only have two part-timers down here, myself and my assistant."

He said that a grand jury is a useful tool for prosecutors but it involve a lot of work. "I would work all day and the grand jury would come in at 7 o'clock and we would work all night."

During the past six months, he said, his office filed almost 700 misdemeanor and felony charges, which don't include the grand jury indictments.