Three face drug charges after shooting on Kingsway Drive

Preliminary hearings have been set for a Jackson man, his wife and her daughter in a drug case stemming from a June 7 shooting on Kingsway Drive.

Thomas Hamilton, 46; his wife, Shauna Hamilton, 32; and Shauna Hamilton's daughter Lacey Solis, 17, all face felony charges of possession of a controlled substance, unlawful use of amphetamine or methamphetamine paraphernalia and possession of anhydrous ammonia in a nonapproved container and misdemeanor charges of unlawful use of drug paraphernalia after police found evidence of a methamphetamine lab at a property Thomas Hamilton owns at 1467 Kingsway Drive, court records show.

Appearing on Monday before Judge Gary Kamp via a video link from the Cape Girardeau County Jail, all three suspects waived arraignment and were found eligible for a public defender.

According to Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court records, officers investigating a shooting at 1467 Kingsway Drive noticed a chemical odor coming from a garage, and a subsequent search of the property turned up possible illegal drugs and precursors to make methamphetamine.

Police initially went to the house after receiving calls about a shooting there.

Andrew McLendon, 29, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest during an altercation in which he is accused of striking William Matlock with an aluminum baseball bat, police reported.

McLendon was charged with second-degree assault and first-degree property damage in connection with the altercation. He was in the Cape Girardeau County Jail on Tuesday on $50,000 bond.

Matlock was not charged with any crime after the Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney's office determined he shot McLendon in self-defense, said Darin Hickey, public information officer for the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

"We don't make that determination. We are the investigative tool," Hickey said. "We gather the evidence and let the evidence tell the story, and then we present the story to the prosecutor."

According to a probable-cause affidavit filed in the McLendon case, police received a call from a neighbor who reported hearing shots at the "drug house" at 1467 Kingsway Drive.

On the way to the house, an officer encountered a silver Hyundai speeding past him with its emergency flashers on, the affidavit stated. The car drove past the officer and stopped, and when the officer turned his patrol car around, the driver of the Hyundai flagged the officer down, saying he had a man with a gunshot wound in the car.

Two minutes after the first call came in, officers received a second 911 call from William Harry Matlock, who reported three men had come to his residence and damaged his car by beating on it. Matlock said he fired a warning shot, and McLendon -- who reportedly was angry about something Matlock had posted on McLendon's wife's Facebook account -- came into the house and hit Matlock with an aluminum bat, according to the affidavit.

At that point, Matlock fired a shot at McLendon, hitting him in the chest, the affidavit stated.

Police responded to another call at the same property early the morning of June 15.

Sgt. Rick Schmidt of the Cape Girardeau Police Department said the house had been damaged by bullet holes.

McLendon, also known as Andrew R. McClendon, has had previous trouble with the law, online court records show, having pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance, third-degree assault, driving while intoxicated and second-degree robbery since 2002.

Court records also show a history of legal troubles for Thomas and Shauna Hamilton. Thomas Hamilton received a suspended sentence in February for possession and distribution of a controlled substance. He pleaded guilty to second-degree property damage in May 2012.

According to online court records, Shauna Hamilton, formerly known as Shauna Solis, has pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and operating a vehicle on the highway without a valid license, stealing, forgery, attempted purchase or possession of liquor by a minor and a probation violation since 2000.

Court records show no prior offenses for Lacey Solis.

Solis and the Hamiltons are scheduled for preliminary hearings at 2 p.m. July 17.

A counsel status hearing in McLendon's case is set for 11 a.m. July 1.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

1467 Kingsway Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.