Man connected to murder defendant charged

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- A St. Louis magazine publisher is facing five felony charges in connection with the death of Cape Girardeau tattoo artist Samuel Francis.

Online court records show Brent Bouren, 42, publisher of Full Throttle Midwest Magazine, was charged Friday with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, tampering with a witness, second-degree assault and felonious restraint.

Another man, Otto Plopper, 43, of French Village, Mo., was charged with felony abandonment of a corpse, according to online court records.

No one at the St. Francois County Sheriff's Department on Sunday could comment on the charges against Bouren and Plopper, but the Associated Press reported the charges were related to the Francis case.

Melvin Scherrer, 49, of Bonne Terre, Mo., was charged last month with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, felonious restraint, abandonment of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence in connection with Francis' death.

A probable-cause affidavit filed last month in St. Francois County Circuit Court accuses Scherrer of striking Francis with a baseball bat and smothering him.

Authorities found Francis' remains in a septic tank near Bonne Terre on July 25, a day after federal agents searched Scherrer's property in connection with a drug trafficking case.

A federal prosecutor on July 24 charged Scherrer with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and possession of a firearm by a felon, after federal agents executed a search warrant at his Bonne Terre home.

Scherrer is in federal custody on those charges.

According to a probable-cause affidavit filed in the case against Bouren, witnesses reported Bouren watched Scherrer attack Francis with a baseball bat, participated in the assault and threatened witnesses with similar treatment to keep them quiet, pointing a gun at some individuals at the scene, the Associated Press reported Sunday.

Court records also indicate witnesses said Plopper was present during the assault, left with Scherrer and Francis and later admitted to helping dispose of Francis' body, the AP reported.

In the federal drug case, authorities tracked Scherrer's activities and determined he was buying methamphetamine from a supplier in Texas, then distributing it in Missouri, according to an affidavit by FBI agent Michael Christian.

During their investigation, federal agents monitored conversations on telephones used by Bouren and Scherrer and determined Scherrer "was supplying methamphetamine to Bouren on a regular basis during 2013," Christian wrote.

A federal document filed in August, disclosing the government's "arguably suppressible evidence," includes wiretaps, tracing and other information for 22 telephone numbers.

An online reverse-directory search linked one of those numbers to Bouren. The evidence list indicates federal investigators obtained an order for authorization of disclosure of telecommunication records for that number on Jan. 9; a wiretap April 4; and a telephone warrant June 7.

The document also mentions a July 22 search of 5615 Viewpoint Lane in St. Louis and seizure of numerous items from that address. Online Missouri court records list Bouren's address as 5615 Viewpoint Drive in St. Louis.

Bouren was not in custody Sunday afternoon, but bond was set at $250,000, online court records show.

Online state and federal court records show no prior offenses for Bouren.

Plopper, who was charged with abandonment of a corpse, has a history of run-ins with law enforcement dating to 1990, online court records show. His prior offenses include burglary, stealing, fraudulent use of a credit or debit device, passing bad checks, marijuana possession and a string of convictions for driving on a suspended or revoked license, according to online court records.

Bond for Plopper was set at $10,000.

According to the probable-cause affidavit filed in the murder case against Scherrer, witnesses and electronic information placed Francis at Scherrer's residence Dec. 18 -- the last day Francis' wife, Amanda, communicated with him -- but the charges against Bouren and Plopper indicate their alleged offenses took place Dec. 15. The reason for the discrepancy in dates was not immediately clear.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Bonne Terre, Mo.

Farmington, Mo.