Mississippi County jury acquits man charged with stealing clothes

A Mississippi County jury acquitted Edwin Minner on April 14 of stealing clothing from Guy's Big and Tall store in Cape Girardeau.

Cape Girardeau County assistant prosecuting attorney Ben Gray expressed disappointment with the verdict. Gray said an eyewitness claimed to have watched Minner and James Proby walk out of the store with clothing in their pants, and an employee of the store testified he saw clothing from the store inside Minner's van.

Minner's co-defendant, James Proby, had already pleaded guilty on Sept. 30 to a misdemeanor stealing charge for his part in the incident.

"Quite honestly, we expected a guilty verdict," Gray said.

The stealing charge against Minner was a class D felony, carrying a punishment of up to seven years of prison, because Minner had been convicted of stealing on at least four other occasions, for one of which he was sentenced to six years in prison.

The case was tried in Mississippi County on a change of venue from Cape Girardeau County. Associate Circuit Judge W. H. Winchester, III presided over the case.