Six arrested in Cape Girardeau drug bust

Cape Girardeau police were alerted to suspicious activity on Rampart Street by a reliable source: police chief Carl Kinnison.

Tuesday afternoon, six people were taken into police custody. Because charges were pending, none has been identified by police.

"The reality of it was, I know this person. I knew his dad," Kinnison said. He's one of five officers living within a five-block area of the north-side neighborood, he said.

More than a month ago, Kinnison went to the home, at 1742 Rampart St., to quell a disturbance.

"It appeared there was some drug activity," Kinnison said. "I said, 'You've got to straighten up your act. I live right down the street.'"

At the same time, Kinnison alerted his department's narcotics division as well as the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force. He also kept an eye on the comings and goings at the house. Kinnison said he began seeing some familiar faces -- people with drug histories.

"It's tough when you believe there's drug activity occurring inside the home," he said. "Speaking generically, where we get a lot of calls for people coming and going, in different houses all over the city, where residents suspect drug activities or prostitution, it's very tough for us to get inside the house and see. We have to follow up. We have to investigate."

But what happened Tuesday was a fluke, police said. When narcotics officers arrived to question someone visiting the home, one of the suspects fled. Police chased the suspect across the neighborhood. One officer tried to use his Taser to stop the man but was too far away, according to department spokesman Sgt. Barry Hovis.

Because the man ran, a chain of events unfolded. Officers searched the man and his vehicle. Among the searchers was a drug-sniffing dog, Bono, who helped officers find a can containing about a half-ounce of crack cocaine and a bag of marijuana, Hovis said. The crack cocaine had a street value of about $500, Kinnison said.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127