Minn. woman charged with stealing released on own recognizance

~ Nicole Beaulieu's felony charge carries a maximum seven-year prison term.

BENTON, Mo. -- A Minnesota resident charged with stealing and possession of drugs has been released on a personal recognizance bond for the second time in two months.

Scott County Associate Circuit Judge Scott Horman ordered Nicole L. Beaulieu, 28, released on her own recognizance Tuesday on charges of felony stealing. If convicted of the charge she could serve up to seven years in prison.

Her bond had been set at $15,000 when she was arrested Friday on the stealing charge.

Judge Horman allowed Beaulieu to be released on her own recognizance March 6 on charges of felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of marijuana. The felony charge carries a maximum seven-year prison term and the misdemeanor up to one year in jail.

When asked why he would allow an out-of-state defendant to be released without posting security, Horman only said that in all bond hearing cases evidence on both sides is presented to the court before a determination is made.

"I've made it a policy I'm not going to comment on individual cases," Horman said Thursday.

According to a Scott County Sheriff's Department news release, Beaulieu reportedly conspired with former police officer for the cities of Chaffee, Mo., and Jackson, to steal a 1990 GMC vehicle impounded in a Sikeston, Mo., storage yard March 8.

David Ruebel, 37, of Chaffee, was a Chaffee police officer when he met Beaulieu, a Scott County inmate in the Chaffee jail, according to the release.

Ruebel reportedly paid a discounted amount for the towing and storage fees against the vehicle and left the premises with it, the report said.

Beaulieu was being held in the jail after a February arrest by Miner, Mo., police. According to a probable-cause statement, Beaulieu reportedly was riding in the GMC vehicle when police pulled it over for a traffic stop and subsequently arrested her for possession of controlled substances.

The vehicle was impounded after the arrest, Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said.

Ruebel has been charged with felony stealing and has posted a $15,000 bond. His next court appearance is April 4 in Scott County circuit court.

Beaulieu is scheduled for arraignment on the drug charges April 12. No court date has been set yet for the stealing charge.

carel@semissourian.com

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