Region briefs 3/16/07

Dental clinic to be held for low-income families

Dr. David Kaelin, a Cape Girardeau dentist, will hold a free clinic from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Cross Trails Medical Center in Marble Hill, Mo. The clinic is open to children whose parents are low-income and have no dental insurance coverage. Kaelin will be doing examinations, sealants and fluoride treatments. Children with dental problems will be referred for further treatment. For an appointment, call (573) 238-2725.

Sedgewickville man 's charges stem from 1997

A Sedgewickville, Mo., man charged with six counts of sexual assault of a girl under the age of 14 had two new charges filed against him this week. Bollinger County Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Gray charged Bryan J. Ellis, 35, with second-degree statutory rape and second-degree statutory sodomy in a 1997 case. Both charges are felonies. According to the probable-cause statement, Ellis, who was 26 years old in 1997, reportedly sexually abused a 14-year-old girl over a two-year period. The victim reported the alleged abuse to the Bollinger County Sheriff's Department on March 10. Ellis was charged in January with first-degree statutory sodomy, first-degree rape and first-degree child molestation for alleged sexual assault against a girl under the age of 14 which reportedly occurred between Jan. 1, 2005, and Jan. 24, 2007. A preliminary hearing for both cases is scheduled April 9 in Bollinger County court.

Man charged with assault pleads not guilty Monday

An East Prairie, Mo., man waived arraignment and entered a not guilty plea in Cape Girardeau County court Monday and Circuit Judge Benjamin Lewis scheduled a case review for March 26. Terry L. Dean, 36, is charged with assaulting and robbing a man in his Pocahontas residence last month, seriously injuring his victim, according to Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department Lt. David James. James said Dean was reportedly an acquaintance of the victim and allegedly beat him with an object during a dispute between the two men. He is charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. Dean remains in custody at Cape Girardeau County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

-- From staff reports