Man gets prison, others make appearances on drug charges

Defendants of various crack cocaine and marijuana cases moved forward on Tuesday in the Cape Girardeau County courthouse in Jackson.

Appearing for hearings on three cases, Brent Johnson, 20, of 1836 Good Hope St., was sentenced to prison in two crack-cocaine cases, while Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle dismissed charges from a property damage case. Circuit Judge William Syler sentenced Johnson to 10 years.

Johnson was arrested following a 2 1/2-month undercover sting on South Hanover Street, during which 17 suspects were charged with class B felony charges of distribution. He pleaded guilty Sept. 2 to two counts and was released on his own recognizance. Twenty-eight days later, Cape Girardeau police arrested him during a crack-cocaine bust at 927 Jefferson Ave.

Though he faced a jury trial on Thursday on the Jefferson Avenue charge, Johnson pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of class C felony possession.

Two crack-cocaine suspects arrested during an early morning traffic stop in December also appeared in court.

Dorislyn I. Gaines, 35, of 259 Park St., waived her preliminary hearing, and Associate Circuit Judge Gary Kamp set arraignment for Jan. 17. Jackee M. Nicholson, 36, of 100 S. West End Blvd., appeared before Syler and pleaded not guilty. Her case was continued to Jan. 30.

The women were charged in early December with one class C felony count of possession after Cape Girardeau police arrested them during a traffic stop. Both are being held on a $5,000 bond and face up to seven years in prison if convicted.

Dale J. Howard, 31, of upstairs 259 N. Park St., was arrested and charged with one class A felony count of trafficking when the women reportedly named him as their dealer. He waived his preliminary hearing on Dec. 28 and faces arraignment on Jan. 9. He is being held on a $50,000 and faces 10 to 30 years in prison if convicted.

In other drug cases:

* Shawn E. Conway, 28, of 11 N. Benton St., appeared before Syler and pleaded guilty to one class B felony count of distribution, while county prosecutors dismissed two misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Syler sentenced him to five years of supervised probation on a suspended imposition of sentence. Conway was arrested in early November, when Cape Girardeau police served a search warrant at 1828 Bloomfield St., and found more than 5 grams of marijuana, along with weighing scales and smoking pipes, said assistant prosecutor Jack Koester.

* Shawn C. Golden, 33, of 308 S. Ohio St., Apt. 10, Jackson, faces up to life in prison for allegedly selling marijuana within 2,000 feet of Immaculate Conception grade school in Jackson. County prosecutors charged Golden on Monday with one count each of class A felony distribution near a school and class B felony distribution. He is being held on a $35,000 bond.

jmetelski@semissourian.com