Recent Cases Heard In The Circuit Court Of Callaway County Division III
The following cases were heard on February 14, 2022, in the Circuit Court of Callaway County, Missouri, Division III, Honorable Kevin Crane presiding:
Lance Jerome Carey, Jr., 38, of Holts Summit, pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated (3rd offense). Carey admitted that in March 2021 he was operating a motor vehicle on Highway 54 while under the influence of alcohol. Carey was stopped by a state trooper who had observed him weaving between the driving and passing lanes of the highway. Upon making contact with Carey, the trooper immediately noted signs of intoxication and observed an open alcoholic beverage container in the cup holder next to Carey. In interacting with Carey, the trooper noted the smell of intoxicants and Carey refused to perform sobriety tests. Carey refused to provide a breath or blood sample so the trooper applied for a search warrant to obtain a blood sample. After a judge issued the warrant, the trooper transported Carey to a local hospital for a blood draw. A lab test of that blood sample confirmed the trooper’s belief that Carey was intoxicated as his blood alcohol content was over three times the level for legally presumed intoxication. The offense was enhanced to a felony based on Carey’s previous convictions for driving with an excessive blood alcohol content (2004 – Jefferson City) and DWI (2005 – Cole County). The judge sentenced Carey to 4 years in prison but suspended execution of that sentence and placed him on five years of supervised probation under several conditions, including that he serve 30 days shock detention in the county jail and, upon release, successfully complete the Callaway County DWI Court program. The case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Mary Renae Cooke, 29, of Auxvasse, failed to appear in court and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
David Lee Fuget, Jr., 35, of Vandalia, failed to appear in court and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Chase Michael Hatfield, 27, of Columbia, pleaded guilty to three counts of felony stealing and one count of tampering with a motor vehicle. Hatfield admitted that in October 2021 he was in possession of a Chevrolet Camaro reported stolen from Audrain County. Hatfield drove that vehicle to an address on Main Street in Auxvasse where he left it, then stole a Dodge Ram pickup. Hatfield admitted to investigators that he took that truck to Mexico, Missouri, dropped it, then returned with another man to Auxvasse to steal a second vehicle, a Hyundai Santa Fe, which the two also took to Mexico, before returning to Auxvasse and stealing a third vehicle, a Ford Ranger pickup truck. All three stolen vehicles were located by the Audrain County Sheriff’s Department at the same location. The motor vehicle thefts were recorded on surveillance video and a backpack was located in the Chevrolet Camaro that contained legal paperwork for Hatfield. The judge sentenced Hatfield to 4 years in prison on each of the charges and recommended that he complete a substance abuse treatment program within the Department of Corrections before being considered for release. The judge also ordered that Hatfield pay restitution to the victims. The case was investigated by the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office and Audrain County Sheriff’s Department.
Lamont Lamar Maxwell, 32, of Columbia, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine). A state trooper made contact with Maxwell in the grass median of Interstate 70 in September 2019. The trooper had been dispatched to the area to check the well-being of a pedestrian in the median. In the course of interacting with Maxwell, the trooper asked to pat him down to which Maxwell agreed. The trooper located methamphetamine in Maxwell’s jacket pocket. Maxwell had a history of criminal convictions for drug related and burglary offenses from St. Louis and the judge sentenced him to 3 years in prison for this latest drug offense. The case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Zachary Lane McBee, 33, of Columbia, was sentenced to 4 years in prison on charges of tampering with a motor vehicle in the first degree and driving while intoxicated (3rd offense). McBee had been on probation for the offenses, admitted violating probation, and the judge revoked it. The case was originally investigated by the Jefferson City Police Department.
Hayden Earl Dale Pardoe, 29, of Jefferson City, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine). Pardoe admitted that he possessed the drug in February 2021 when a police officer made contact with him in the parking lot of a local church to investigate a complaint of a suspicious vehicle. Pardoe had been taken into custody during the investigation when the officer discovered the drug in Pardoe’s pocket. The judge placed Pardoe on five years of supervised probation. The case was investigated by the Holts Summit Police Department.
Teresa Marie Rice, 44, of Florissant, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance (oxycodone). In May 2019, officials from a nursing home reported the theft of oxycodone pills from a medication cart. Rice had been employed at the facility and had been given keys to a medicine cart to retrieve ibuprofen. Video surveillance showed Rice taking prescription cards containing pills from the cart and hiding them in her shirt. An investigator made contact with Rice at the facility when she returned to work. Rice admitted taking the pills and was in possession of some of the pills at the time she was arrested. The judge sentenced Rice to 3 years in prison and recommended that she complete a substance abuse treatment program before being considered for release. The case was investigated by the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office.
James Dale Ross, 45, of O’Fallon, failed to appear in court. A warrant remains outstanding for his arrest.
Dylan Jayde Smith, 18, of Jefferson City, pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary in the second degree and one count of institutional vandalism. Smith admitted that he acted in concert with others to break into the Oakley Chapel A.M.E. Church and two private residences on Olive and Highway 94 in Tebbetts in January 2021 and damage property in all three buildings. The church and private residences were not occupied at the time of the offenses and the damage and vandalism was discovered within a few days of the incidents. Smith admitted that he and two other adults, as well as two juveniles, entered the buildings two nights in a row and caused property damage. The group damaged a vehicle and a door at the Olive street address. The group damaged mirrors, glass doors, air conditioning unit and a bookcase at the Highway 94 residence. The group caused extensive damage to the chapel and church annex at the Oakland Chapel A.M.E. Church, including damages to walls, doors, bathroom fixtures, air conditioning units, stained glass windows, as well as the sanctuary of the chapel. The judge placed Smith on five years of supervised probation under several conditions, including that he pay restitution to the victims in an amount to be determined. The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is working with officials at the church to reach a final figure for those damages. The case was investigated by the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office.
Angelina Melissa Wedepohl, 33, of Fulton, failed to appear in court and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
