The Cole County grand jury handed down several indictments this week, including a Cole County man charged with making a false bomb threat and assaulting law officers after an incident at his home in May.
Mark Balcer, 49, 5217 Shepherd Hills Road, is also charged with resisting arrest and violating an order of protection. As of Wednesday afternoon, he was being held in the Cole County Jail on $100,000 bond.
Cole County Sheriff's Department probable cause statements show deputies were called to Balcer's home after he called the 911 dispatch center, saying he had planted bombs in his yard in an effort to blow up lesbians.
He earlier had called a friend and told him that he would see his case worker in the morning and would kidnap the case worker and drive until they ran out of gas. Once they were out of gas, he was going to murder his case worker and then commit suicide.
When deputies got to Balcer's home, he met them at the door holding a rifle and told them to leave.
He did not point the rifle at the deputies, but made comments about it being loaded with black powder and roofing nails. Balcer then closed his door and went back inside.
Instead of forcing a confrontation, deputies left the residence. As they were leaving, Balcer called 911 and said he hoped the deputies would trip a wire of one of the bombs he planted. He also said he was willing to go to jail and that he had enough black powder to blow up his house. Deputies came back to the home.
Balcer then ran away from deputies who later caught him and arrested him. A search of the property turned up no bombs or explosives.
It was later discovered that Balcer had also had an order of protection filed against him over offensive posts on Craigslist.
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The grand jury indicted a Jefferson City man charged with assaulting a woman with a large knife in June.
Court records show Jernail Hickmon, 21, 1111 E. Dunklin St., is charged with second-degree assault and possession of a controlled substance.
According to a Jefferson City police department probable cause statement, Hickmon got into an argument with the victim and her boyfriend in the 600 block of Clark Avenue.
Hickmon threatened the two with a knife and eventually struck the female with the hand he was holding the knife in.
She was knocked to the ground and blacked out.
She told police the last thing she remembered was waking up in the hospital.
Her injuries included a busted lip, large laceration to the right cheek, a torn left ear lobe and a fractured knee cap.
During a search of Hickmon, officers found six white pills in his pants pocket, which later were determined to be Vicodin.
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The grand jury indicted a Jefferson City man charged with selling a controlled substance near a school.
John Brewer, 22, 1104 E. Atchison St., allegedly sold marijuana to an undercover officer in March near South School property in the area of Broadway and Dunklin streets.
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The grand jury indicted a Jefferson City man who was taken into custody after a drug bust in March.
Eugene Lamont Gates, 31, of 608A Michigan St., was charged with possession with the intent to deliver and sell a controlled substance.
Prosecutors said Gates is a "prior" and "persistent" drug offender, because he was convicted of felony controlled substance distribution charges in 2003 and 2007.
Authorities served a search warrant at Gates' apartment and found two bags containing about 10 ounces of marijuana inside a gym bag.
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Grand jurors indicted a Chicago resident who was taken into custody last month.
Tatum Carter, 32, is charged with one count of distribution of heroin from May through June.
When taken into custody, she was on probation for fraudulently trying to obtain a controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance. She was also considered a persistent drug offender with two prior drug convictions.
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The grand jury indicted a Jefferson City man charged in connection with an armed robbery last month.
Jerry Cave Jr., 23, 501 E. High St., is charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary.
According to police reports, officers were called to Budget Inn, 1309 Jefferson St., after a woman reported she had been robbed.
The victim stated she was awakened by a knock on her door. Expecting her boyfriend, she answered the door and found Cave standing there with a handgun, forcing her back into her room. Cave then struck the victim in the face before taking an undetermined amount of cash and her cellphone.
Based on the information provided, Cave was identified through previous contacts with authorities.
Cave was located in the 1500 block of Jefferson Street and taken to the police department for further questioning. During the interview, Cave implicated himself in the crime, adding that he originally met the victim to sell narcotics, police said.
He also led officers to the BB gun he said he used in the robbery.
Cave has also been charged with possession of marijuana.
As they searched Cave after his arrest in the robbery case, officers found a large cellophane bag with 21 individual packages containing marijuana.
Cave said he paid about $80 to his dealer for the packages.