The Cole County Grand Jury recently handed down several indictments, finding there was enough evidence to send the cases to the circuit courts for possible trial.
Among those indicted was a Jefferson City man charged after fleeing from police following a July 7 accident.
Aaron Strickland, 20, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving while revoked.
The crash occurred in the 1400 block of Elizabeth Street, according to Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statements.
The driver of the vehicle Strickland hit told officers she had been traveling on Elizabeth Street when Strickland turned from Myrtle Avenue onto Elizabeth at a high speed. He drove into her lane, and she stopped in the middle of the street to avoid the accident. Strickland drove up on the curb trying to avoid her vehicle but struck her vehicle in the side. Officers said the victim’s vehicle suffered significant damage to the passenger side.
Strickland allegedly told the victim his license was revoked but had insurance and asked that she not call police. A relative of the victim and passenger in the vehicle called the police after Strickland left. This person later identified Strickland as the driver when shown a picture of him.
The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries.
Several officers combed the area looking for Strickland but couldn’t find him.
Then, early Saturday morning, just before 4 a.m., an officer saw Strickland sitting on the back deck of a residence in the 800 block of Clark Avenue. The officer tried to get Strickland to come speak to him, but Strickland took off on foot. The officer used his Taser and took Strickland into custody.
• Also indicted was a Richland woman charged in connection with the writing of forged checks in Jefferson City in July.
Misty Brown, 38, is charged with four counts of felony forgery.
JCPD probable cause statements state the first forgery occurred at Big O Tires on Missouri Boulevard. Brown allegedly used a fake name and agreed to pay for $2,500 worth of repairs on her truck. She used a check that was allegedly from a Springfield bank. The witness in this case became concerned when Brown walked outside numerous times and came back into the business with multiple bank account numbers.
Later, Brown went to Gerbes on West Truman Boulevard, where she attempted to cash a forged check, but an employee noticed a slip showing Brown had tried to cash the check at another location and was denied through their check program.
Police were called to the store, and Brown admitted to knowing the check was forged. A search of her purse found another forged check made out to Walmart, while a search of the vehicle she’d been riding in turned up eight more checks under the rear driver’s-side passenger seat.
Brown was taken into custody on an unrelated warrant. During an interview with authorities, Brown claimed her former boyfriend and his brother had forced her into cashing the forged checks. She said she was in fear for her life.
Brown said she bought a laptop computer with a forged check in Rolla and used the computer to print the checks. She said she was aware of only nine such checks. Authorities searched a bag Brown was in possession of and found 23 completed forged checks, numerous blank checks and instructions on how to print the checks. The checks had various names, including Brown’s.
Court documents show Brown has been arrested for failure to appear on warrants at least three times. She has been arrested five times and convicted twice of theft, arrested five times and convicted four times of possession of forgery tools and arrested one time for passing a bad check.
• Also indicted was a Jefferson City woman charged with felony chronic DWI in September.
Kimberly Ferrin, 47, also is charged with driving while revoked and careless and imprudent driving, both misdemeanors.
Ferrin has four prior alcohol convictions from Cole, Boone and Osage counties and two previous driving while revoked convictions in Cole County, according to court documents.
Officers spotted Ferrin driving erratically in the 700 block of Clark Avenue, according to a JCPD probable cause statement.
She went onto a sidewalk as she was finishing a turn and almost hit a stop sign, officers reported. She then went north on Clark with half her vehicle traveling on the sidewalk and the car horn blasting.
When she stopped, she refused to take a sobriety test, but officers said there was a strong smell of alcohol coming from the vehicle and she was unsure of her balance and had bloodshot, glassy eyes.
• Also indicted was a Jefferson City man considered by authorities to be the prime suspect in numerous burglaries.
Timothy Todd Jr., 17, is charged with first-degree tampering, first-degree property damage and receiving stolen property.
Todd was seen Sept. 2 while driving a vehicle reported stolen Aug. 31, according to a JCPD probable cause statement. Witnesses said they saw Todd placing different license plates onto the stolen vehicle.
Authorities found the vehicle near the intersection of Rolling Hills Road and Plymouth Rock in Jefferson City.
During a later traffic stop on a vehicle Todd was a passenger in, officers searched Todd and found he was carrying two box cutters and possessed a set of keys to another vehicle Todd is believed to have stolen.
Todd denied any knowledge of being involved with the thefts of motor vehicles.
• Also indicted was a Jefferson City man charged in connection with a shooting in September.
Dana Day Jr., 28, is charged with shooting a man twice in the 200 block of North Ventura Avenue in Jefferson City. He is charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm.
The victim, a 24-year-old Jefferson City man, was found lying at the end of Ventura Avenue, shot twice in the abdomen.
The victim told officers he was in the parking lot when Day confronted him, displayed a firearm and shot him. What led to the shooting was not specified in the probable cause statement.
Day was identified by the victim via a photo lineup. Court records show Day has been found guilty in numerous misdemeanor and felony cases in the past.