By DEANNA CORONADO
SEMO News Service
CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. - It will be after the New Year before anything further develops in the case against the City of Caruthersville's Chief of Police, Chris Riggs, who has been charged with allegations of forgery and stealing thousands of dollars from the city's Criminal Investigation Fund
Riggs was expected to be seen in court for a preliminary hearing on November 14, however, his attorney Curtis O'Ban-non Poore of Cape Girardeau, Mo., filed a motion to push back that meeting, which was permitted, resulting in a new court date of January 9, 2012.
Prior to this request, the defense filed a separate motion, on October 14, 2011, asking the court and prosecution to produce documents in relation to the case and charges against Riggs. Although court records do not typically indicate what will be included in that request, it is likely that much of the information will pertain to details regarding the methods of forgery and criminal financial deceit, the official has been accused of carrying out with the help of an accomplice.
A lengthy criminal affidavit filed with the courts details 24 counts of forgery and one count of stealing Riggs is being charged with, as well as 11 separate counts of forgery against another city employee Marcus Hopkins, who served in the role of a Bootheel Drug Task Force Agent. The document suggested that Hopkins' role in the crimes involved him forging signatures and amounts paid pertaining to phantom Bootheel Drug Task Force (BDTF) expenditures. The expenditure logs Hopkins was signing for as a BDTF supervising agent were actually an attempt to cover-up the fact that Riggs was writing out checks to Hopkins and then forging Hopkins' signature to the documents before cashing them at a local banking center himself, say investigators. Specifically, Hopkins is being charged with 11 separate counts of forgery in regard to the phantom "amounts paid" entries in the BDTF expenditure log, while Riggs is being held accountable for the acts of forgery pertaining to his role in writing checks to Hopkins and later forging Hopkins' signature to cash them. The probable cause affidavit lists 24 incidents in which this illegal activity took place. Riggs is accused of writing checks ranging from $500 to as high as $6,000 per occasion, over a nearly two year period.
Another detail disclosed in the documents filed through the court system alleges that during an investigative interview, Hopkins told the inquirer that he had "not given Riggs permission to forge his name on the actual checks," rather had only agreed or discussed forging receipts to account for the missing funds. Hopkins indicated early in the investigation that he would be tendering his resignation as an officer with the department and agent of the Bootheel Drug Task Force and Riggs has since been placed on "administrative paid leave" by his department. Assistant Chief of Police, Tony Jones, is filling the void by serving as Acting Chief of Police in Riggs' absence.
In the case against the co-defendant, Hopkins, court records show that on the defendants behalf, attorney Daren K. Todd, filed a motion for discovery on November 23, followed by a change of venue and judge request on December 12. Hopkins and his lawyer should expect to receive an answer of whether or not their change of venue and judge request was granted during an upcoming hearing which has been set for 10 a.m., on February 7, 2012, before Pemiscot County Judge Fred W. Copeland. Hopkins has just recently appeared in court for his arraignment hearing, in which he opted to waive his right to a formal procedure. Hopkins also entered a plea of "not guilty" during this hearing and agreed to reappear in early February to move forward with the case.
Each of the men are out on a $200,000 bond, which was posted in early October.