MAN GIVEN TWO-YEAR PRISON TERM

U.S. District Judge Rodney Sippel has sentenced a Cape Girardeau man to two years in prison on a federal gun charge and accepted guilty pleas from two people in drug cases.

James O'Connell, 46, was sentenced to prison on Monday for being a convicted felon in possession of firearms.

O'Connell was arrested in March 1999 after Cape Gir-ardeau police officers responded to a disturbance of the peace call at 2303 Jane St.

Reportedly, O'Connell was discovered in the basement with three firearms that had been stolen in Bowling Green, Ky.

O'Connell had previously been convicted of burglary and stealing in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties.

In other court action, Darrell Boyd, 30, of Cape Girardeau pleaded guilty to one felony count of possession of a cocaine-based substance with the intent to distribute.

Boyd was arrested after officers responded to tip in October that lead them to Boyd's room at the Town House Inn in Cape Girardeau.

Reportedly, officers knocked on the door and Boyd allowed them to enter the room, where they discovered $435 cash, a digital scale and a plastic baggy containing 5.9 grams of crack.

Boyd confessed to selling the drug.

He faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and a $2,000 fine.

Latondria "Toni" Valentine, 29, of Sikeston, Mo., pleaded guilty to one felony count with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a cocaine-based substance.

Valentine was arrested following a search of her residence. Police reportedly discovered 65 grams of crack in the kitchen, and Valentine offered a confession at the scene.

She faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $4 million fine.