Grand jury hands down several indictments

The Cole County grand jury recently handed down indictments in several cases finding there was enough evidence to send them onto the circuit courts for possible trial.

Among those indicted were:

A Jefferson City man charged with attempted armed robbery of a local business in January, as well as several unrelated drug charges in an incident that resulted in a woman's death.

Michael Baker, 40, was charged with first-degree attempted armed robbery, tampering with physical evidence and possession of a controlled substance - all three of which are felonies - along with endangering the welfare of a child and possession of drug paraphernalia, both of which are misdemeanors.

Court records show witnesses said a man entered JC Mart on West Dunklin Street with a handgun. Witnesses also said the man pointed the firearm at them and requested money. He later fled the scene without any money.

When he demanded employees give him money, the employees told the man the money was in the safe. He then demanded cigarettes. "I don't want to shoot anyone," he told the employees.

Officers noticed while watching a store security system video the suspect had covered his face with a plastic bag but was wearing a tennis shoe with a distinct pattern and color. The day after the attempted robbery, police received a call at Baker's address about a woman in medical distress.

When officers arrived on the scene, a witness told police they had heard Baker yelling in a back bedroom and found him trying to perform CPR on an unresponsive woman in a bed. The witness also said he saw Baker place evidence down the vent to the home's central air system.

When questioned by police, Baker admitted to buying a Fentanyl patch from an unknown individual, and he and the woman had heated the Fentanyl on a spoon and injected it with a needle.

Baker told police a child under age 17 who was diagnosed with autism was in bed with Baker and the woman when they injected the Fentanyl. Baker said the narcotics caused him to nod off, and he woke up to find the woman unresponsive. She was later pronounced dead.

During the investigation, Baker showed officers where he hid the patch and needle in the basement. While at the house, officers also found shoes identical to those seen in the armed robbery video. Baker also had a coat resembling one worn by the suspect was wearing. During questioning by authorities, Baker admitted he was drunk and tried to rob the store. He said he borrowed a gun from a friend and left without any items because he was scared. He also admitted he was wearing the coat and shoes officers had seen in the store video.

A Jefferson City man facing second-degree murder and armed criminal action charges following the killing of another man early New Year's Day.

Jeffrey Millens, 22, also faces a charge for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Police were called to the 900 block of East Capitol Avenue for a shooting in a home just east of the former Missouri State Penitentiary property.

When officers arrived, they found Quonterio Davis, 23, of Jefferson City, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken immediately to an area hospital, where he later was pronounced dead. Detectives were called to the scene to investigate and determined Millens was responsible for the shooting and had fled the scene.

Based on information obtained in their investigation, officers determined Millens was in the area of Hawthorn Parkway and Linden Drive - near South School and about two miles from the murder scene.

Police said Millens was located and taken into custody without incident. Investigators believed Davis and Millens "were acquainted in some manner," but the extent of that relationship and the possible motive for the shooting weren't clear.

Court documents show a Cole County grand jury indicted Davis with one count of hindering prosecution in the case of a March 2016 shooting in the Capital City.

A Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement shows officers were called to St. Mary's Hospital after three males came in with gunshot wounds.

When the officers attempted to speak with the men, they refused to give any information about what had happened.

A few days later, one of the victims contacted police saying he had been in a parking lot in the 2400 block of Missouri Boulevard, speaking with others when a dark vehicle approached the group.

Police said Davis was driving the vehicle while a passenger began to shoot. When questioned, Davis admitted driving while a passenger was shooting out of the passenger-side window. But, Davis told police last year, he had been unaware the passenger was armed or that he was going to shoot.

Court records show Davis had an extensive criminal history in Missouri and Tennessee.

Two men charged in connection with the theft of three guns in December.

Quashawn Holder, 17, of Holts Summit, and Joshua Davis, 17, of Jefferson City, are each charged with one count of receiving stolen property.

The incident occurred at a residence in the 1200 block of East Elm Street, according to Jefferson City police.

Holder and Davis went to a residence looking to buy guns. It was while the victim went downstairs, according to relatives of the victim, the men quickly left the home with the guns in their possession.

When authorities showed the victim a photo lineup, the victim was able to pick out Holder and Davis.

Davis also was found to have an active warrant out for his arrest and a prior arrest for possession of a firearm.

A Jefferson City woman charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child for an incident that occurred in October 2015.

Brittney Vernell, 28, was taken into custody in December for two warrants for failing to appear on other charges, according to a Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement.

During the October 2015 incident, Vernell told authorities she had seen a bug go into a girl's vagina. The girl was under the age of 17.

"I saw it crawl inside her, and I went after it," Vernell said. Police said Vernell's attempts to remove the fictitious bugs caused the victim to bleed. Vernell later told officers she was seeing bugs and lice on the girl. Authorities believed Vernell was under the influence of narcotics at the time.

A Jefferson City woman charged with burglarizing a home last May.

Courtney Moreno, 20, is charged with first-degree burglary and receiving stolen property.

A Cole County Sheriff's Department probable cause statement shows the burglary occurred at a home in the 1200 block of North Wind Lane. The homeowner saw a vehicle in his driveway upon coming home, and when he went inside, he found Moreno.

She got into the vehicle, driven by another person, and fled the scene. The homeowner searched his residence and found three guns, valued at approximately $700, were missing. The homeowner was able to positively identify Moreno in a photo lineup.

Moreno has a previous conviction for second-degree burglary out of Stoddard County.

A Jefferson City man charged in connection with a sexual assault case.

Jerome Buschman, 31, is charged with second-degree statutory rape and second-degree statutory sodomy. The crimes occurred between Sept. 9 and Nov. 11, 2016, according to Jefferson City police. The victim was a girl under the age of 17.

Last month, the victim came to police with her parents and admitted to having romantic encounters with Buschman on a least four separate occasions.

The girl told her parents Buschman would contact her school office and pose as her father to get her out of school, then she would go to his house, where the sexual activities took place. The girl also said the contacts she had with Buschman were consensual.

Documentation provided by the school confirmed the four dates when these incidents took place.

When questioned by authorities, Buschman admitted to having sex with the girl and admitted to acting as her father to get her out of school.

Buschman's job allows him to leave early on Fridays, and all the dates of the incidents were Fridays.