Drug, vehicle theft cases among grand jury indictments

This week the Cole County Grand Jury indicted a Jefferson City man on three counts of delivery of a controlled substance.

Robert Stapleton Jr., 37, is also charged with one count of resisting arrest.

The indictment indicates the jury found there was enough evidence to send the case to the circuit courts for possible trial.

Stapleton was sitting in a vehicle on Duane Swift Parkway April 2, when he was found to be in possession of several controlled substances, including cocaine, heroin and marijuana.

As officers attempted to take Stapleton into custody, he fled on foot but eventually was caught.

Stapleton has multiple convictions for possession of controlled substances and for resisting arrest.

Also indicted was a Jefferson City man charged in connection with four separate vehicle theft cases.

Brad Ponder, 27, is charged with three counts of stealing, one count of first-degree tampering and one count of first-degree property damage.

The incidents took place between April 1-11, according to probable cause statements from the Jefferson City Police Department and Cole County Sheriff's Department.

One victim told authorities April 6, after being out of town for a few days, he found his vehicle had been taken from his workplace in the 2600 block of West Main Street, where he had left it while out of town. He said he had left his keys inside the vehicle.

Another victim told authorities when he left work April 9 at Unilever on West Truman Boulevard, he found his vehicle had been stolen. He also said he had left the keys inside and the vehicle unlocked.

Authorities were notified Tuesday of a vehicle stolen from a residence on Tunnel Street in Eugene.

While on a foot patrol on Railroad Avenue in Eugene, a Cole County deputy saw Ponder spray painting the hood of a vehicle. He told the deputy he found the vehicle at a gas station in Tipton with the keys inside and took it to Eugene. The vehicle was found to have been stolen from Tipton.

Ponder was taken into custody and told authorities he had stolen the vehicle from Eugene. It was later found at a church parking lot in the Russellville area.

The vehicles taken from Unilever and from West Main Street were also found in Eugene, and Ponder was connected to their thefts.

Also indicted was an Eldon man charged with delivery of a controlled substance in Cole County.

Phillip Rhodes Jr., 25, is also charged with unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Officers conducted a traffic stop April 5 on the vehicle Rhodes was traveling in in the 1700 block of Missouri 179 for a registration violation, according to a Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement.

Rhodes was removed from the vehicle, and during a search of the vehicle, officers found two small bags of handgun ammunition, a 9mm handgun, a digital scale and several bags containing a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.

Rhodes was on supervised probation at the time of his arrest for a felony stealing case.