A few felony convictions for August

Jeannie Barton-Northrup, jnorthrup@dailyjournalonline.com

August was a busy conviction month, especially for St. Francois and Washington counties.

A few people chose to use the Alford Plea. The Alford Plea is a way for a person to claim innocence but admit that enough evidence exists that a jury would find them guilty if a trial were to be held; therefore, the person is allowed to use the Alford Plea in exchange for a lesser sentence.

Here’s a rundown of some of the cases our local courts saw last month:

Iron County: 

Ashley Holland, 34, of Pilot Knob, pleaded guilty on Aug. 14 to two felonies in separate cases. The first is one count of passing a bad check from Feb. 2017; the second is one count of tampering with a motor vehicle from January. A sentencing hearing is scheduled at the Iron County Courthouse for Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 9:02 a.m.

Larry Clarence Gilmore, 72, of Ironton, pleaded guilty on Aug. 22 to one misdemeanor count of owner operating a moving vehicle without maintaining financial responsibility from July. Gilmore was required to pay a fine of $250.

Madison County:

John Wesley Lee Chitwood, 44, of Fredericktown, pleaded guilty on Aug. 10 to four felonies in four separate cases. Two convictions are probation revocations from 2020 due to two felony convictions this year for driving with a revoked or suspended license. The prior convictions are for second-degree burglary and possession of controlled substances. Each prior conviction garnered a sentence of six years, while the most recent felonies earned four years each. The sentences will run concurrently.

Jacob David Lewis, 32, of Farmington, pleaded guilty on Aug. 17 to one count of felony possession of controlled substances. Lewis received five years of supervised probation as a sentence.

St. Francois County:

Cheri Lynn  Beyersdofer, 32 – of Farmington, pleaded guilty on Aug. 2 to one felony count of first-degree burglary and one misdemeanor count of tampering with a motor vehicle. Byersdofer received 30 days for the misdemeanor and was credited the 30 days for time served. For the felony, Byersdofer received five years of supervised probation.

James Dwight Brigman, 53, of Leavenworth, Kansas, pleaded guilty on Aug. 11 to one felony count of second-degree drug trafficking. Brigman received a sentence of 10 years to run concurrently with any other state or federal convictions.

Myles Eckhoff, 28, of Park Hills, used the Alford Plea on Aug. 15 for one felony count of delivery or possession of a controlled substance at a county or private jail or correction center. Eckhoff received a sentence of supervised probation for five years.

Stephen Ellmore, 34, of De Soto, pleaded guilty on Aug. 2 to one felony possession of controlled substance. Ellmore received five years of supervised probation as a sentence.

Kurt Elliott Hernandez, 35, of Bismarck, pleaded guilty on Aug. 25 to one felony count of non-support in excess of 12 payments due under the court order of support. Hernandez received a sentence of five years of supervised probation.

Nicholas Patrick Perry, 18, of Farmington, pleaded guilty on Aug. 4 to felony possession of child pornography. A sentencing hearing is scheduled at the St. Francois County Courthouse on Nov. 1 at 8 a.m.

Kelly David Reger, 37, of Farmington, pleaded guilty on Aug. 11 to one count of felony possession of a controlled substance and received five years of supervised probation.

Amber Jo Nicholle Rhoden, 33, of Desloge, pleaded guilty on Aug. 25 to one count of felony delivery of a controlled substance. Rhoden was sentenced to a 120-day drug rehabilitation program.

Angela R. Schroeder, 58, of Desloge, used the Alford Plea on Aug. 18 for one count of felony first-degree harassment. Schroeder was sentenced to five years of supervised probation.

St. Genevieve County:

Curtis Neil Cornell, 56, of Perryville, pleaded guilty on Aug. 22 to one count of felony possession of a controlled substance and received five years of supervised probation.

Aniji Azhon Talley, 19, of Houma, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on Aug. 16 to one count of felony unlawful possession, transport, manufacture, repair, or sale of an illegal weapon. A sentencing hearing for Talley is scheduled for Oct. 17 at 9 a.m. in the St. Genevieve County Court House. 

Washington County:

Esteban Avitia, 33, of Cadet, used the Alford Plea on Aug. 21 for one count of first-degree harassment and received five years of supervised probation.

Jerry Neal Coleman, 68, of Potosi, pleaded guilty on Aug. 18 to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and received two years of unsupervised probation.

Alivia Jean Cook, 22, of Mineral Point, pleaded guilty on Aug. 21 to misdemeanor stealing and received two years of supervised probation.

Joseph S. Dibella, 28, of Cadet, pleaded guilty on Aug. 24 to felony unlawful use of a weapon. Dibella received five years of supervised probation as a sentence.

Derrek Lee Duncan, 27, of Cadet, pleaded guilty on Aug. 8 to felony possession of a controlled substance. Duncan received a sentence of five years to run concurrently with any other sentences already in progress.

Nolen Lee Dunn, 40, of Potosi, pleaded guilty on Aug. 18 to misdemeanor resisting or interfering with arrest, detention, or stop and received a sentence of 90 days in jail. Dunn was credited for 90 of jail time already served. 

Rose Anna Janusweski, 32, of Park Hills, pleaded guilty on Aug. 2 to felony second-degree assault and was sentenced to five years of supervised probation.

Thomas Christopher Lang, 38, of Imperial, pleaded guilty on Aug. 21 to two felonies and one misdemeanor. For the felony convictions, Lang received five years of supervised probation for driving while revoked or suspended and five years of supervised probation for first-degree property damage. Two years of supervised probation was Lang’s sentence for the misdemeanor conviction of first-degree trespassing. All sentences will run concurrently.

Jason Allen McFarland, 40, of Sullivan, pleaded guilty on Aug. 21 to one felony of second-degree burglary and one misdemeanor of stealing. McFarland received five years of supervised probation for the felony conviction and two years of supervised probation for the misdemeanor conviction. Both sentences will run concurrently.

Steven Tyler Skaggs, 33, of Bonne Terre, pleaded guilty on Aug. 21 to two felonies in separate cases. The first conviction is for stealing, and the second is for possessing a controlled substance. Skaggs was sentenced to five years for each felony in the Missouri Department of Corrections. Both sentences will run concurrently.

Micah Valentine Smith, 24, of Mineral Point, pleaded guilty on Aug. 21 to trafficking or attempting to traffick drugs. Valentine received a sentence of five years of supervised probation.

Michael Allen Tate, 49, of Mineral Point, pleaded guilty on Aug. 29 to three felonies. The first felony conviction was for possession of a controlled substance, for which Tate received a five-year sentence with the Missouri Department of Corrections. Tate received a second felony conviction for resisting arrest/detention/stop/ by fleeing and creating a substantial risk of severe injury or death to any person. The second conviction earned Tate two years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. A third conviction was for unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, for which Tate received a three-year sentence in the Missouri Department of Corrections. All sentences will run concurrently.