Cole County Grand Jury indicts five

The Cole County Grand Jury recently indicted several individuals, finding there was enough evidence to send their cases on to the circuit courts for possible trial.

Among those indicted were:

• A Jefferson City man taken into custody following a standoff with police in January that lasted for about 90 minutes outside a Jefferson City apartment complex. Heriberto Martinez, 34, is facing charges of third-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, felonious restraint and two counts of first-degree child endangerment.

According to police reports, officers responded to 911 calls of shots fired at the Broadmoor Apartment complex, 505 Ellis Blvd.

When officers arrived, they encountered Martinez in the parking lot and ordered him to show his hands.

Martinez refused multiple commands and began cursing and yelling at the officers to shoot him. Officers saw Martinez did have a handgun and he refused to drop it even after repeated commands to do so.

SWAT team members were summoned, along with the police department's crisis negotiations team, and after 1½ hours of speaking with Martinez, he dropped the weapon and was taken into custody.

The investigation revealed Martinez was involved in a domestic disturbance with his girlfriend at this location just prior to the 911 calls. During the disturbance, he discharged several rounds from his firearm and threatened to kill himself. Some of those rounds traveled outside of the apartment and into adjacent apartments, nearly striking a resident there. Martinez also made several statements he wanted police to kill him.

• A Jefferson City man charged with stealing a vehicle in January. Court records show Michael Sayles, 38, of 5208 Collier Court, is charged with first-degree tampering and resisting arrest.

Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statements show the vehicle was stolen from a residence in the 200 block of Madison Street.

Officers responded to a suspicious activity call in the 1900 block of Cedar Hill for a report of a man looking into vehicles in the area. A resident told officers the man, later identified as Sayles, got into a vehicle matching the description and license plate of the car stolen from Madison Street.

That vehicle was eventually located at Sunrise Lane and Sunset Lake Road in Cole County where Cole County Sheriff's Department deputies followed him to Southwest Boulevard in Jefferson City. Deputies activated their emergency lights in the 1000 block of Southwest Boulevard, and Sayles pulled into a parking lot. He got out of the vehicle and fled on foot. Authorities took Sayles into custody after a chase of about 100 yards.

When questioned, Sayles denied stealing the vehicle, saying he was a passenger despite deputies seeing him get out of the driver's seat.

Sayles has five prior stealing-related convictions including one for first-degree tampering.

• A Jefferson City woman charged with taking several packages in November. Sarah Miller, 36, is charged with three counts of felony theft and one count of misdemeanor theft.

Authorities located her at a motel parking lot in Jefferson City. She is believed to have been involved in thefts from locations not only in Jefferson City, but also Callaway County and Holts Summit.

Several shipping boxes and mailers that belonged to victims were found discarded in the grass in a Holts Summit subdivision.

• A man from Maryland charged with one count of first-degree assault for causing serious injuries to a man in January by punching, kicking and stomping on him. Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statements show Brandon Orem, 29, Williamsport, Maryland, was involved in the attack, which occurred in the 3500 block of Missouri Boulevard.

A witness said she saw Orem attacking the victim after the victim had fallen to the ground. Two witnesses were able to positively identify Orem as the one who attacked the victim. When officers got on the scene, the victim was unconscious and Orem had fled the area.

The victim was taken to St. Mary's Hospital and later transferred to University Hospital in Columbia. He had to be intubated, suffering from a fractured jaw and bleeding on the brain.

Police found Orem 15 blocks away from where the attack occurred.

• A Jefferson City woman charged with stealing tires from state vehicles parked on a lot in Jefferson City. Patrice Johnson, 43, Jefferson City, is charged with receiving stolen property.

The incident she is charged with occurred in October 2013.

Court documents show authorities in August interviewed Johnson, who told them in the past had van tires stolen twice and placed on a van that was registered in her name. She said admitted to stealing van tires from state vehicles.

Authorities discovered the number of times this took place matched the amount of unaccounted-for stolen van tires and wheels taken from the Employment Security Parking Lot, 421 E. Dunklin St. This is adjacent to the apartment complex where Patrice lives.

The cost of the items taken from the vehicles was estimated at $783.