Cape Girardeau man faces felony charge after gun discovery at university stadium

A 38-year-old Cape Girardeau man was arrested Saturday afternoon, Nov. 30, after a loaded handgun was discovered in a storage room at Houck Field during Southeast Missouri State University's home FCS playoff football game.

William Wells was taken into custody by SEMO's Department of Public Safety at 12:23 p.m. Saturday on the Class E felony charge of unlawful use of a weapon by carrying a loaded firearm into a school, bus, premises or function. Wells was on site to "provide custodial and clean up services" through a subcontract between SEMO and ABM Industries for the 11 a.m. football game at Houck Field.

According to a probable-cause statement from a DPS officer whose name was redacted, Wells arrived at the facility at approximately 10:40 a.m., entering through a locked gate intended for employees. Wells had been carrying a black bag, which he left in a locked storage room inside the stadium. A 9 mm handgun — equipped with an extended magazine and loaded with 18 rounds, including one in the chamber — was found in a bag he had when he entered the facility.

"The ABM supervisor was in there, I think cleaning up the room, and came across the black bag and didn't know whose it was, and then happened to look inside and saw the gun," DPS director Richard Flotron said. "The police were on scene already, so she called them in there and they secured the firearm. ... Then they went back, looked at camera footage and saw him go in there."

Wells was read his Miranda rights at approximately 12:40 p.m. and admitted to the arresting officer that he had brought the firearm into the facility. He acknowledged that he knew it was loaded with a round in the chamber and told the officer he had purchased it "a few months ago." Wells said he had the firearm with him for general protection but had planned to leave the gun in a van on his way to the stadium. He brought the gun inside after discovering the van was locked.

Wells told the arresting officer he had worked three football games previously but had never brought any weapons to the stadium before Saturday. He also told the officer that he had "a lot of (expletive) going on," but that there wasn't a specific reason he brought the gun inside other than it was already on him.

Flotron said he didn't believe Wells had any malicious intentions behind bringing the gun into Houck.

"There was never any threat to anybody, because, obviously, he was separated from where the firearm was," Flotron said.

Before Saturday's arrest, Wells had also been sentenced to 30 days in jail for an assault in February 2010 and was convicted of felony theft in March 2016, in which he received a suspended sentence of five years' probation.

Wells was booked into the Cape Girardeau County jail at approximately 1:50 p.m. Saturday, and is being held in lieu of $20,000 bond. A Class E felony is punishable by up to four years in prison, one year in jail and a $10,000 fine.

Flotron said he will recommend using the recently purchased weapons detection systems to screen event employees in addition to attendees.

"With this (policy) being new this year, obviously, we're going to have some growing pains," Flotron said. "In this situation, from now on, my recommendation is going to be that even employees have to pass through the metal detectors. If he would have passed through the metal detectors, it would have been found right away. So, moving forward, I think that even employees going in there are going to have to go through that weapons detection system."