The Cole County grand jury recently handed down several indictments, finding there was enough evidence to send cases onto the circuit courts for possible trial.
Among those indicted were:
• Four Columbia teenagers who were charged in connection with the shooting of two juveniles in Jefferson City in December. Tavion Jones, D'anglo Harris and Rasheem Wallace-Jackson, all 18, were each charged in this case.
Jones is charged two counts of first-degree assault, three counts of armed criminal action and one count of unlawful use of a weapon.
Harris and Wallace-Jackson are both charged with two counts of first-degree assault, three counts of armed criminal action and one count of aiding and abetting a person shooting a firearm.
Jaron Gates, 18, is charged with tampering with physical evidence and making a false report since he lied to authorities about his identity when he was taken into custody.
A Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement shows the shooting occurred in the 600 block of School Street.
The teens were in a car that went down School Street - which is a dead-end - turned around and came back. The two victims were outside of one of the residences on the street when they were shot.
The statement said this group confronted the two juveniles "over an ongoing dispute from earlier in the year."
The Columbia teens fled the scene, but were eventually pulled over and arrested on U.S. 63, near the Boone County line.
Jones was identified as the person who fired several rounds from a 9mm pistol at the victims, hitting them both in their legs.
Jones, at first, denied being at the scene, but later admitted to firing the rounds that struck the victims.
He said Harris gave him the gun he used.
Harris denied being in possession of the gun before the incident, but took detectives to where the gun was hidden after the shooting.
Wallace-Jackson told investigators the car the group was in belonged to him. He admitted to being the driver, but denied any knowledge of what was going to take place.
Gates was identified as being in the vehicle by others involved in the incident, but denied being at the scene.
Investigators later learned the teens went to a residence in Jefferson City where the gun that was used to commit the crime was hidden and eventually recovered.
• A Jefferson City man charged with selling crack cocaine in or near public housing units. Steven Dennis, 24, 1419 E. Miller St., is charged with selling the drug near the 1000 block of East Elm Street.
The residences in the 1000 block of East Elm Street are owned and operated by the Jefferson City Housing Authority.
The sales occurred between April 1 and June 18.
Dennis was on probation for a seven-year sentence on two counts of distribution of controlled substances and considered a persistent drug offender with two prior felony drug convictions.
• A Jefferson City couple charged in connection with a drug bust that occurred in January. Herbert Rogers, 40, and Erica Hansbrough, 34, both of 2305 Southridge Drive, are each charged with second-degree drug trafficking, possession of heroin and possession of crack cocaine.
Court documents show police SWAT team personnel conducted a raid at Rogers' residence and found him in a downstairs bathroom attempting to discard a large amount of cocaine and crack cocaine in a toilet.
Officers were able to keep the drugs from being destroyed and also found cocaine and heroin in a large bag on top of a water heater next to the toilet.
The drugs totaled 10 ounces of cocaine, 2 ounces of crack cocaine and 1 ounce of heroin.
During questioning, Hansbrough said she didn't know Rogers had narcotics at the residence, but did know he had a history of selling drugs and, although he was unemployed, he always had money. Hansbrough said Rogers used the money to occasionally help pay bills and help with their children.
Rogers was on parole at the time for possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest.
His criminal history shows he is a persistent drug offender with four prior convictions for second-degree drug trafficking and possession of a controlled substance.
Hansbrough is considered a prior drug offender having been convicted of distribution of controlled substances in April 2009.
Rogers was considered a flight risk since he is from Chicago and still has family there.