Stoddard County sheriff to stand trial

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Scott County judge recently ordered Stoddard County Sheriff Steve Fish to stand trial for stealing.

This comes after Fish appeared Aug. 6 before Associate Circuit Judge David Mann for a preliminary hearing on the Class C felony of theft/stealing (more than $500, but fewer than $25,000).

At that time, Mann took the case against Fish under advisement after hearing the evidence presented by the state.

Sikeston attorney James Robison, who was appointed special prosecutor in the case, and Fish's attorney, Stephen Taylor of Sikeston, were given time to submit briefs to Mann before he issued his ruling.

Taylor filed his brief, as well as a transcript of the preliminary hearing with the court on Aug. 20, according to a docket entry on the Missouri State Courts Automated Case Management System.

On Friday, Robison reportedly filed a response to the defense's brief.

On the same day, "the court finds probable cause (to believe) a felony was committed" and sufficient evidence to believe the "defendant (Fish) committed said felony," the docket entry said.

Mann further ordered Fish to appear at 9 a.m. Sept. 15 in Division I before Presiding Circuit Judge Stephen Sharp for arraignment on the charge.

At this time, Fish reportedly is on active duty with the 131st Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard based in St. Louis.

Chief Deputy Rick Cook also is supposed to appear before Sharp on Sept. 15 for arraignment on the Class C felony of theft/stealing (more than $500, but fewer than $25,000).

After hearing the evidence presented at Cook's Aug. 6 preliminary hearing, Mann ordered to him to stand trial on the charge.

The charges were the result of a investigation conducted by Robison. He had been appointed by the court to look into allegations of misuse of funds at the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department.

The complaint on file with the court against Fish alleges that on Feb. 25, Fish "appropriated cash or property of a value of at least $750 by deceit in that he purported to sell a 2000 model Ford Crown Victoria," owned by Stoddard County, for the total price of $1,500, while reporting to the county that the sale was for the sum of $133.30, and he "appropriated $1,366.70 of said sale price to his own use, without the consent" of the county, and with the purpose to deprive the county.

The complaint against Cook alleges that between January 2001 and June 2003 he "appropriated cash or property of a value of at least $750 by deceit in that he filed false affidavits of service in the office of sheriff of Stoddard County, by which he falsely represented that he had served various documents which had in reality been served by other members of the staff of (the sheriff's department), but for which (he) claimed mileage expenses for the use of his automobile, and that by the use of that scheme (he) appropriated approximately $1,352.72 of funds belonging" to Stoddard County, and he did so with the intent to "wrongfully deprive the county of said funds."