Suspect connected to home invasion appears in court

The man charged with receiving stolen property in connection with a home invasion and robbery made his first appearance, via video conference from the jail, in Buchanan County Circuit Court on Friday.

Creadele L. Harrison, 36, was arraigned before Judge Ron Taylor. The prosecutor's office alleges Mr. Harrison received a stolen gold necklace worth more than $500 from a Lake Contrary home that burglars robbed on Oct. 13. Mr. Harrison told the court he would apply for a public defender. The judge set the defendant's preliminary hearing for Nov. 10.

Mr. Harrison also asked for a personal recognizance bond, which the judge denied. Judge Taylor kept the defendant's bond at $4,500 and commented that it should be a lot higher, based on the prosecution's other allegations.

Police arrested Mr. Harrison and Nathan Taylor, 29, in connection with a home invasion on Southwest Lakefront Lane, when two men allegedly wore hooded sweatshirts and masks while carrying weapons. The suspects allegedly tied up the father while making threats to the man and his wife, said Sgt. Shawn Collie of the Sheriff's Department. The men allegedly were looking for narcotic medications and a safe, Mr. Collie said.

Nathan Taylor is in U.S. Marshal custody on a federal charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

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3 suspects in murder-for-hire case plead

not guilty

SAVANNAH, Mo. - Three of the four men accused of participating in the May 2 murder of Antonio Jose Maravilla-Vargas pleaded not guilty in Andrew County Circuit Court on Friday.

Antonio Onate, Orlando Cruz and Jose Quintero all waived their formal arraignments and are scheduled back in court Dec. 2 for status review hearings.

Mr. Onate is a restaurant owner accused of paying for the contract killing and charged with first-degree murder, as are the other three suspects. Enrique Hernandez-Hernandez, the fourth defendant in the case and the alleged go-between for the contract killing, allegedly contracted Mr. Cruz to perform the murder.

Mr. Quintero and Mr. Cruz face armed criminal action charges as well. Prosecutors also charged Mr. Quintero with the felonies of hindering prosecution, tampering with evidence, abandonment of a corpse and a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of a shooting.

Compiled by R.J. Cooper, who can be reached at rjcooper@npgco.com.