The Cole County Grand Jury recently handed down several indictments, finding there was enough evidence in cases to send them to the circuit courts for possible trial.
Among those indicted were two Kansas City men arrested after allegedly stealing approximately $1,400 worth of thermostats from Menards on Stonecreek Drive in Jefferson City.
Raul Morales and Javier Toledo were charged with felony stealing after Jefferson City police responded April 25 to Menards, where they were shown surveillance videos of a man hiding thermostats in a shopping cart, according to a probable cause statement.
Menards' corporate office had notified employees to look for Morales, who was suspected of committing thefts at multiple stores.
Also indicted were three women charged after leading authorities on a long chase in October.
Bianca Crockett, 27, and Mercedes Holmes, 25, both of East St. Louis, Illinois, along with Javayshia Smith, 27, of Jennings, are each charged with stealing and resisting arrest.
Jefferson City police reported the 911 center received a call reporting a theft from Dillard's at Capital Mall. Crockett, Holmes and Smith allegedly had gone inside the store and taken more than $1,500 in property by concealing items in Dillard's bags. It was later learned the women were involved in multiple thefts in Mid-Missouri amounting to approximately $17,000.
Once the women fled from Dillard's, they got into a vehicle and left.
Based on witness descriptions, officers located the vehicle on U.S. 50 near Dix Road, and a pursuit ensued. They eventually reached the Missouri River Bridge and went north on U.S. 54.
The vehicle continued northbound until reaching the city limits of Fulton, where Fulton police deployed tire-deflation spikes, forcing the vehicle to stop.
Court records show Crockett has several stealing-related arrests and convictions from Illinois. Smith has prior charges for obstructing justice.
Also indicted were a man and woman from Jefferson City charged with passing phony money at a business.
Riley McKinney, 20, and Emma Randall, 23, are each charged with one count of forgery.
Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statements show the two were at Steak n' Shake on Missouri Boulevard in September and attempted to use a fake $100 bill to pay for their meal.
An employee marked the bill using a counterfeit detection pen. The mark appeared dark in color, which indicated it was not real U.S. currency.
McKinney said he got the bill in Columbia several days before and did not know it was counterfeit. Randall said the bill was hers, and she had gotten it from an ATM in Jefferson City.
A police officer examined the bill and noticed it was smaller than real U.S. currency and had two halves taped together with black ink marks on both sides. It also felt like paper inconsistent with that of real U.S. currency.
McKinney has a criminal history from Iowa with charges of assault and robbery.
Also indicted was a Linn woman charged after Cole County Sheriff's Department deputies investigated three residential burglaries in October.
Kimberly Prater, 27, was charged with first-degree burglary, stealing and second-degree property damage.
The first burglary was reported at 3:49 p.m. in the 6700 block of Loesch Road, the second at 5:06 p.m. in the 5500 block of Buffalo Road and the last at 5:13 p.m. in the 5200 block of Route D, according to sheriff's department reports.
According to the Cole County sheriff, a deputy went to the first burglary on Loesch Road and was told by a witness he had seen a male and female near the residence prior to finding the residence had been broken into. The back door was kicked in and broken.
At 4:40 p.m. a deputy saw a vehicle in the 5700 block of Loesch Road with a man and woman (Prater) matching the witness' description. The deputy stopped the vehicle, and the two were arrested. Their arrests led to the recovery of stolen items and linked the pair to all three burglaries.
Prater and her accomplice allegedly stole items such as an Xbox 360, a 9mm pistol, jewelry and several hundred dollars' worth of change. When questioned, Prater admitted they had committed the burglaries.
Their arrests also led authorities to more stolen property seized, three cars impounded and one search warrant served in the 3200 block of Cassidy Road.
Also indicted was a Jefferson City man facing numerous charges in connection with multiple theft cases.
Brice Walther, 32, is charged with three counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of stealing a firearm, one count of tampering with evidence and one count of felony stealing.
An investigation into Walther began Oct. 9 after deputies arrested Kimberly Prater, who was indicted by the grand jury in a separate case.
During interviews with investigators, Prater said prior to committing the burglaries she had been at an apartment on Cassidy Road with Walther, where they planned to break into homes and steal items. Prater said Walther agreed to take part in the thefts and drove Prater and her accomplice to the homes.
Prater said Walther contacted them while they were inside and told them what to take; when they were done, Walther would come and pick them up. Records from Prater's cellphone showed multiple calls with Walther corresponding to the times the burglaries occurred.
Some items taken from a burglary on Loesch Road were found in nearby woods, while other items were found in a dumpster at the apartment complex on Cassidy Road.
Authorities later seized a vehicle Walther had driven to a burglary on Route D. The jewelry box taken in that burglary was found in the car, and in the box investigators found Walther's driver's license and debit card.