Region briefs 1/13/04

Four charged in Scott County meth bust

Four people are in the Scott County Jail on drug charges after a search warrant was served Saturday evening at 108 Faust in Sikeston, Mo. Christy Pierce, 27, of Portageville, Mo., is charged with possession of a controlled substance. Her bond is set at $50,000. Connie Floyd, 43, of Sikeston, is charged with attempting to distribute a controlled substance. Her bond was set at $100,000. Steve Lawrence, 43, of New Madrid, Mo., was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. His bond was set at $100,000. Kathy Atkinson, 37, of Rhome, Texas, is charged with first-degree trafficking. Her bond was set at $200,000. Officers seized approximately 30 grams of what is believed to be crystal methamphetamine, an undisclosed amount of cash and a stolen handgun.

Hospital releases East County fire truck driver

The driver of the 2,000-gallon tanker for the East County Fire Protection District that overturned into a field off Highway 177 Saturday afternoon has been treated and released by St. Francis Medical Center, according to a hospital spokeswoman. Aurther H. Leuder, 76, was driving to a grass fire when he lost control of the vehicle on a curve about 8 miles north of Cape Girardeau.

Case heads to Perryville for Jackson lawyer

A change of venue to Perry County was ordered Monday for a Jackson lawyer facing a third-degree assault charge in Cape Girardeau County. Derrick R. Williams Sr., 45, once worked at the Missouri Public Defender's branch office in Jackson. Investigators say he punched, choked and threw his live-in girlfriend onto a bed Aug. 31. Williams has felony convictions in St. Louis County for stealing and passing bad checks and in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, for stealing from a credit union, for which he was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.

Jackson firefighters respond to kitchen fire

When Jackson firefighters arrived at a reported kitchen fire Monday afternoon at 1207 E. Main, the fire had extinguished itself, said Capt. Curt Sparks. A resident came home from school to find his apartment filled with smoke, Sparks said. Damage included burned cabinets. The cause is still under investigation.

Sikeston officers arrest man for crack, fleeing

SIKESTON, Mo. -- James Otis Baker, 19, of Sikeston, Mo., was arrested Sunday outside the Rhodes store at 535 N. Main in Sikeston after an officer found nearly 5 grams of crack cocaine on him. Baker resisted arrest and fled behind the store. During a struggle, a Taser was knocked from the officer's control and onto the parking lot. Baker was caught about two blocks away. When the officer returned to the store, the Taser was gone. A tip from a citizen led detectives to find the device on the roof of the Rhodes store.

-- From staff reports