Region briefs 2/20/04

Cape man faces charges after search finds drugs

Dwain Vaughn, 21, of Cape Girardeau was charged Tuesday with possession of crack cocaine and marijuana after Cape officers served a search warrant at his residence at 1009 Linden. During the search, two stolen handguns were recovered, as well as a quantity of crack cocaine and marijuana. Information that led to the search warrant revealed that the occupants were selling the drugs to school-aged children, officials said. Vaughn remains in custody in lieu of $30,000 bail.

Westview Club plans beef dinner for Sunday

A beef dinner with all the trimmings will be held from 11 a.m to 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Millers-ville Masonic Hall. The meal is sponsored by the Westview Club.

Poplar Bluff man sentenced for child porn

Eric A. Hartley, 29, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Cape Girardeau to 33 months in prison for transporting child pornography. On March 3, a detective from the Keene, N.H., Police Department used the Internet to pose as a 14-year-old boy and met Hartley in a chat room. During the conversation, Hartley engaged in sexually explicit conversation and solicited, promoted and published known child pornography over the Internet to the detective. A March 14 search of Hartley's home turned up child pornographic images and videos.

-- From staff reports