Man pleads guilty to civil rights crime

A Southeast Missouri man pleaded guilty Monday to civil rights charges in federal court, admitting that he threatened and attacked a Hispanic family trying to use a campground within the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

Derrick West, 24, pleaded guilty to a nine-count indictment, including one felony count of conspiracy to violate civil rights, seven felony counts of aiding and abetting in the willful interference of a federally protected activity and one felony count of destruction of federal land. He appeared Monday before U.S. District Judge Richard E. Webber in Cape Girardeau.

With his plea, West admitted that on May 22, 1999, he and three other men -- Canyon Mason, Ryan Hergesheimer and a juvenile -- intimidated a Hispanic family from using the Blue Springs Primitive Campground in Shannon County.

Prosecutors say the defendants and juvenile threatened several members of the Hispanic family by yelling racial slurs, shouting that the family didn't belong in the river, and by threatening to chop the family up, kill them and throw them in the river. West assaulted a member of the family by hitting him with his fist.

As the family sought refuge in their vehicle, prosecutors say, the defendants began kicking, punching, and throwing rocks at the car. The driver's side window was smashed out as they continued calling the family racial slurs and threatening to harm them.

As the car was driven away, more rocks were thrown, shattering the rear window. Shattered glass from the window fell and cut the minor children sitting in the back seat, prosecutors say.

Another member of the family, an 8 1/2-month pregnant woman, had to be taken to the hospital after suffering abdominal pain.

Each defendant faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison for eight of the counts and five years in prison for one count. Each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000.

Mason and Hergesheimer previously pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced in December. West is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 25.

In other federal court action Monday:

Clifford Stackhouse, 58, of Butler County was sentenced to nearly eight years in prison for possessing and intending to distribute methamphetamine. Stackhouse was found with more than four pounds of meth in a safe in November 2000.

Coy L. Richey, 38, of Dunklin County was sentenced to 12 years in prison for possessing and intending to distribute meth. Richey admitted that on April 4 he sold one-quarter ounce of meth to a confidential informant at a residence in Kennett, Mo.