SPLIT VERDICT IN 3RD GOOD HOPE TRIAL

POPLAR BLUFF -- A third man has been found guilty of throwing rocks in an incident that sparked a melee on Good Hope Street last June, involving a crowd of about 150.

Elijah Fisher, 19, of Cape Girardeau, one of seven charged in the June 11 incident, was found guilty Tuesday of interfering with an arrest.

The jury decided that Fisher had joined a crowd in throwing rocks at police who were attempting to arrest Kenneth Campbell.

The jury acquitted Fisher of charges of second-degree assault of an officer and recommended a sentence of six months in county jail, plus a fine to be decided by the judge.

The jury was made up of six men and six women, 10 white and two black.

Circuit Judge Robert Cope will sentence Fisher and decide his fine, anywhere from $1 to $5,000 on Jan. 18.

Fisher was represented by public defenders Kent Hall and Greg Spencer. Prosecution was represented by assistant prosecutors Ian Sutherland and Julie Weinert

Sutherland said he was not disappointed with the verdict.

"I think the jury felt he was a salvageable young man," he said.