Region briefs 08/24/02

Three more Missourians ill with West Nile virus

ST. LOUIS -- Preliminary lab tests show that three more Missourians -- two in the St. Louis area and one in Morgan County in central Missouri -- have become ill with the West Nile virus, the state health department officials said Friday.

The latest victims are a 57-year-old St. Louis woman, a 79-year-old St. Louis County man and an 85-year-old woman from Morgan County, said Nanci Gonder, spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Details about their conditions were not released.

So far, 15 people in Missouri have tested positive in preliminary lab results for the mosquito-borne virus, and one -- a 75-year-old St. Louis woman -- has died.

All of the preliminary results have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for confirmation, Gonder said.

Perryville man caught after police pursuit

After a vehicle pursuit that led through three counties, Perry County deputies arrested a Perryville man wanted on stalking charges when he crashed his car in the yard of a Baptist church.

Thomas L. Doss, 44, crashed on Holmes Road, near Perry County Road 854, after leading deputies on a chase through Perry, St. Francois, and Ste. Genevieve Counties.

Doss is currently held on two warrants for agravated stalking and one misdemeanor warrant for failure to appear on one of the stalking charges. His bond is set at $60,500.

The apprehension followed an alleged shooting incident that may lead to more charges being filed against Doss, officials said.

A woman called the sheriff's office at about 4:45 p.m., saying her alleged stalker was in the area. A deputy could not locate the suspect at that time. She later called again on her mobile phone, saying Doss had fired at her with a rifle as she left her place of employment.

Teenagers seriously injured in one-car crash

Two 17-year-old boys were seriously injured in a one-car crash on Cape Girardeau County Road 205, one mile south of town.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, driver Adam Cloninger, of Advance, was driving his 1986 Chevrolet northbound on the roadway when he lost control of the vehicle on a curve, slid off the left side of the road and then struck a tree.

Cloninger and his passenger, Gregory Bugg, of Puxico, were transported by ambulance to St. Francis Hospital. Both were listed as being in stable condition late Friday.

St. Louis Catholics donate record amount

ST. LOUIS -- Archbishop Justin Rigali said he always had faith in the Catholics of St. Louis. But not even he could have forseen their record $12.1 million donation to this year's Archdiocesan development appeal.

"People questioned how it was possible to meet our goal," he said. "I'm absolutely elated."

The record donation comes in a year when the Roman Catholic Church nationally has had to face dozens of allegations of sexual abuse against current and former priests. Several allegations have been made against priests in the St. Louis Archdiocese.

State plans audit for sheriff's department

ST. LOUIS -- The most experienced auditor in the state will begin an audit of the St. Louis Sheriff's Department within 30 days, state Auditor Claire McCaskill said Friday.

At a news conference in St. Louis, McCaskill said Ken Custer will direct the audit that is expected to cost between $25,000 and $100,000. The audit should be complete by March.

A five-month investigation by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch revealed three deputies were paid full time to deliver court papers to citizens more than a decade after the deputies had moved on to other full-time careers. In addition, the investigation revealed five deputies were found by the St. Louis Police Board to be unfit to carry a gun or wear a badge as security guards because of the deputies' arrest histories. Moreover, two high-ranking deputies drive city-owned cars and still get $140 a month for car allowance.-- From staff, wire reports