2 Ex-Employees at St. Louis Airport Plead Guilty

Two former St. Louis Regional Airport employees charged with stealing from the airport will serve a year of probation under a plea agreement.

Both had been charged with felonies but pleaded guilty of misdemeanors.

Marion Richardson, who was a supervisor at the Bethalto airport, was charged in August 2004 with theft and official misconduct. Authorities had alleged that he stole a 1963 Ford tractor, which was seized from his farm in Sullivan.

Randall Miles, the airport's operations manager, had been charged earlier with official misconduct and bribery. He was accused of taking a $500 bribe in exchange for a contract and of stealing 500 gallons of gasoline, equipment and labor from the airport.

Each man on Monday pleaded guilty on one count of attempted criminal trespass to state-supported land, although it was unclear exactly what led to that charge.

"We expected to develop more evidence of wrongdoing and weren't able to do that," said David Rands, the special prosecutor assigned to the case, of the reasons for the plea.

One witness against Miles, 50, had lied to police before, and authorities also couldn't prove that Richardson, 57, didn't have the authority to take the tractor, Rands said.

Besides probation, both men must each pay a $250 fine. Richardson also must pay $750 to the Bethalto police anti-crime fund and Miles must contribute $500.

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