State digest 01/04/03

Man charged in Faulkner theft waives hearing

The Arkansas man charged with stealing six William Faulkner letters from Southeast Missouri State University waived his preliminary hearing Friday in Cape Girardeau County Associate Circuit Court.

With his case now bound over to the circuit court, Robert Hardin Smith, 43, of Jacksonville, Ark., will next appear in court Jan. 13.

He was charged Nov. 19 with felony stealing. Investigators say he stole letters while visiting the university's Rare Book Room at Kent Library on Sept. 30 and sold them four days later to a Rowlett, Texas, manuscript dealer. The letters, valued at $25,000, are now held by the SEMO Department of Public Safety.

Smith surrendered to officers in Arkansas on Dec. 1. He was extradited Dec. 5 from Little Rock, Ark., to Cape Girardeau County and remains in jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.

Smith, a former Arkansas public defender, was convicted in 1996 of stealing historic manuscripts from the University of Kansas and the University of Arkansas. He served two years in an Arkansas prison before being paroled in 1999.

Two arrested in burglary of vacant house in Cape

Two men were arrested and charged Friday in connection with the burglary of a vacant house, said Sgt. Rick Schmidt of the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

Officers responded shortly before 11 a.m. to 403 S. Hanover St., where two men had been seen inside the home by a witness. When police arrived, the men had already left. However, a witness provided a description and named of one of the men seen in the home, Schmidt said.

Jonathan Ayers, 20, of 1227 College, and Terrell Hunt, 20, of 401 Hanover, were arrested shortly afterward and were later charged with first-degree burglary. Their bonds were set at $50,000 each.

Hunt faces an unrelated charge from Dec. 24 for driving with a revoked license. He was convicted in April 2001 of a felony drug charge and received five years probation. Ayers also faces a driving while revoked charge from Nov. 15. He was convicted of the same charge in May 2001. In January 2001, he received probation for a forgery conviction.

Governor to appoint Stoddard County coroner

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The swearing in of the new Stoddard County officeholders Monday left a vacancy in the coroner's office.

That occurred when Greg Mathis, who has served as the county's coroner for six years, was sworn in as Stoddard County's new presiding commissioner.

As a result, Stoddard County Sheriff Steve Fish is acting coroner until Gov. Bob Holden appoints someone to fill the two years left on Mathis' unexpired term.

"At this time, we don't have an appointment for that position yet," said a spokesman for Holden's office. One is reportedly expected soon, she said.

Mathis said the governor has two names on the list, Morgan Sifford of Puxico, Mo., and Steve Watkins from Dexter, Mo.

Mathis was himself appointed Stoddard County coroner in 1996 by then-Gov. Mel Carnahan following the death of Ray Rainey.

St. Louis Zoo reports record attendance

ST. LOUIS -- Nearly 3 million people visited the St. Louis Zoo in 2002, an all-time high, zoo officials said Friday.

The 2,922,130 visitors topped the previous mark of 2,914,274 in 1998.

"We're thrilled to have had such a great year," zoo president Jeffrey Bonner said. He cited the popularity of the River's Edge attraction, the new home for elephants, hippos and other animals.

-- From staff, wire reports