Men accused in pharmacy burglaries plead not guilty

A Cape Girardeau man and a Benton, Mo., man charged in connection to three pharmacy burglaries pleaded not guilty to second-degree burglary and felony stealing Monday before Circuit Court Judge William L. Syler.

Carlos Miniel, 17, will appear before Syler again April 19, while Charles Dobyns, 20, was granted a change of venue to Scott County, where he's facing additional charges of burglary, property damage and four counts of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute.

Miniel and Dobyns are accused of breaking into John's Pharmacy at 2001 Independence St. March 5 and attempting to break into Broadway Prescription that same morning.

They're charged with attempted burglary in connection to that incident at 710 Broadway.

In addition, they're charged with a second count of attempted burglary at MediCenter Pharmacy in Jackson also on March 5. Nothing was stolen from that location, and no property was damaged.

Charles Dobyns

At Dobyns' preliminary hearing March 29, officers testified that they were called to Broadway Pharmacy around 3 a.m. where they saw a suspect wearing blue jeans, a red sweat shirt, a ski mask and gloves.

A door on the building was damaged and a dead bolt and door knob were missing from the door.

The description, later linked to Dobyns, matched one of a suspect in a surveillance video police officer Matt Peters viewed after a burglary took place at John's Pharmacy around 1 a.m.

A pharmacy technician also testified at Dobyns' hearing that a container of oxycodone marked specifically as property belonging to John's Pharmacy was stolen.

No new court date has been set for Dobyns in Scott County.

ehevern@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent Address:

2001 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO

710 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, MO

200 W. Washington St., Jackson, MO