Cape Girardeau County assistant prosecuting attorney Frank Miller asked what finding a bag filled with copious amounts of drugs and a gun, last seen with a defendant, and the other defendant found with $4,511 meant.

“That they’re selling it,” Cape Girardeau police Cpl. Bryan Blanner said.

Judge Gary Kamp found sufficient probable cause to continue the case against Teco Vanshawn Woods, 33, of Charleston, Missouri, after a preliminary hearing Tuesday.

Woods is charged with trafficking in drugs, three counts of distribution of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and unlawful use of a weapon.

Hernandez Evans, 21, of Charleston faces the same charges. He was arraigned Jan. 9.

Cape Girardeau police officer Jason Angle responded to a shoplifting call about 6 p.m. Dec. 22 at Wal-Mart, he testified.

He was directed to a nearby Shell station, where a Wal-Mart employee said a white Chevrolet Suburban the suspects drove was parked, Angle testified.

The description Angle had was of a black man with dreadlocks wearing a sock cap, he testified. Angle saw Woods leave the Shell station store, and he met the description, he testified.

Angle said officers did not find Wal-Mart merchandise in the possession of Woods or Evans.

Angle suspected Hernandez also was involved, and Hernandez and Woods were placed in handcuffs, Angle testified.

The Suburban was searched, and he detected an odor of marijuana, Angle said.

Angle searched the men’s bathroom in the station and found what he thought was a red sweatshirt in a trash can, covered with unused paper towels, he said in court. Angle and Blanner removed from the trash can what they found to be a red bag, Angle testified.

Blanner opened the bag and saw one large bag of methamphetamine (115 grams), one small bag of heroin, six baggies of cocaine (144 grams), seven bags of marijuana (105 grams) and a bottle of codeine cough syrup (4 ounces), Blanner testified.

Through security-camera footage, Blanner and Angle determined Woods had the red bag before walking to the bathroom, Blanner testified.

Three other people, including Evans, went into bathroom before Woods walked out without the bag, Angle testified. Blanner said none of the other people who went to the bathroom held a red bag.

Woods’ lawyer, Andrew Morris, objected to the heroin-distribution charge because it only was 5 grams. Kamp overruled the objection.

Morris asked for a bond reduction, which Kamp denied based on the amount of drugs found at the scene.

bkleine@semissourian.com

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