Local briefs 12/4/03

Two small arson reports filed with Cape police

Cape Girardeau police responded Tuesday to reports of arson and attempted arson, according to spokesman Sgt. Rick Schmidt. The first report occurred at 7:34 p.m. at 3814 Eagle Ridge Drive. Passersby saw flames coming from a shrub next to the house. Police think gasoline was used to start the fire, which melted siding on the structure. The fire was extinguished before firefighters arrived. Witnesses described a person seen waling in the area to police. But when interviewed by police, the man did not have a smell of gasoline on him and was not taken into custody, Schmidt said. The second arson-related incident occurred at 11:48 p.m., when a resident at 1911 Good Hope Street heard something strike his house. When the resident investigated, he found a plastic soda bottle containing a liquid and a red tube coming out of the top, Schmidt said. Police say the bottle -- fashioned into a Molotav cocktail -- contained an accelerant. There was no damage to the home. Investigations continue into the incidents, Schmidt said.

Kennett man sentenced for embezzlement

A federal judge has sentenced Martin "Marty" Herrington, 44, of Kennett, Mo., to three years in prison on each of seven felony counts of bank embezzlement and ordered him to make restitution of money he embezzled from the bank where he was employed. Herrington appeared before U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey in federal court in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday. In addition to sentencing Herrington to prison, Autrey ordered him to make restitution to the First National Bank of Malden in the amount of $870,944. After his release from prison Herrington must serve five years supervised probation.

P&G suffers small fire in expansion project

Paper products manufacturer Procter & Gamble had a small fire Tuesday night at about 10:30 p.m., according to human relations manager Mike Jennewein: The plant is currently expanding to build a new paper machine that would boost the facility's towel and towel-making capacity by 80,000 tons a year. There are several buildings under construction as part of that expansion. The tallest one, a four-story building, had a small fire on the roof where tar material caught on fire. The building had no equipment inside or electric power. Workers were doing welding on the top of the building earlier that day, but Jennewein said he wasn't sure how the fire started. While P&G has its own fire brigade, this building is still technically owned by the construction company, which hasn't turned the building over to P&G, yet. So East County Fire District and Fruitland firefighters were called and the fire was put out some time later.

-- From staff, wire reports