Indictments handed down

CHARLESTON -- Mississippi County's grand jury handed down indictments resulting in 11 arrests so far including the arrest of a former county jail administrator.

Members of the Mississippi County Sheriff's Department and the Charleston Department of Public Safety met at 5 a.m. Tuesday at the Sheriff's Office to begin a roundup for indictment warrants, according to Sheriff Keith Moore.

"We worked on it pretty much all day Tuesday," Moore said. "We still have more to do. You just grab what you can and then you start picking up stragglers here and there."

Among those arrested Tuesday was the former administrator of the Mississippi County Detention Center, Don Dwight Chance, 42, of East Prairie.

Chance was indicted by the grand jury and charged with two counts of stealing and five counts of forgery.

Chance served as the county jail's administrator from 1997-2004. He was replaced as administrator for the jail when Moore took office. Moore won the Democratic primary election against Chance in 2004.

During a state audit from the office of Claire McCaskill, it was discovered that thousands of dollars were missing from the Mississippi County Detention Center from 2000-2004 during Chance's time as administrator.

Chance's bond is set at $10,000.

Other arrests Tuesday included:

* William Robert Marcum, 44, charged with first degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, one count of first degree assault and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. Marcum is currently in the Mississippi County Detention Center without bond.

* Cornelious Martel David, 16, of Charleston, charged with first degree burglary, two counts of felony stealing, possession of a controlled substance and escape from custody. David is being held at the Mississippi County Detention Center with a total bond of $100,000.

* David L. Davis, 20, of Charleston, charged with two counts of felony stealing and one count of first degree burglary. Davis is being held at the Mississippi County Detention Center with a $50,000 cash or surety bond.

* Kenneth W. Marcum, 44, of East Prairie, charged with manufacture of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of anhydrous ammonia. His bond is set at $50,000.

* Demarcus Antonio Moore, 19, charged with first degree robbery, first degree assault, second degree burglary and three counts of felony stealing. Moore's total bond amount is $75,000.

* Fonta Mckeller, 27, of Charleston, charged with two counts of driving while revoked. McKeller's bond is set at $5,000 on each count.

* Jonas Phillips of Wilson City was arrested on indictments from two different cases. Phillips is charged with one count of second degree burglary and three counts of stealing. The bond for that case is set at $25,000.

Phillips is also charged in another case with two counts of felony possession with the intent to distribute for which bond was set at $50,000.

* James Charles Poynor, 28, charged with one count of child molestation and one count of sexual misconduct involving a child.

Poynor is being held in the Mississippi County Detention Center with a bond of $100,000.

* Thomas Wayne Riggins, 54, charged with four counts of first degree child molestation, one count of forcible sodomy and one count of statutory sodomy. Riggins is currently being held on a $100,000 bond at the Mississippi County Detention Center.

* Robert Lee Thurman, 66, was charged with possession of marijuana. His bond was set at $10,000.

Making the arrests were: Moore, Chief Deputy Charlie Marcum, Capt. Ken Story, deputies Janice McCameron, Alvin Marcum, Danny Harris, Randy Cook, Mike Borders and Ken Dalton from the Mississippi County Sheriff's Department and Capt. Robert Hearnes, public safety officers David Watkins, Barry Morgan, Robin Hosey and Aaron Rapert from the Charleston DPS.