COLUMBIA — The mother of the alleged Cut Throat gang leader pleaded guilty to drug charges Friday in federal court, and the one remaining defendant in the case has scheduled a plea hearing for Monday.
Donna C. Coats, 39, of Columbia, was charged with participating in a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession of at least 5 grams of cocaine with the intent to distribute and using a communications device for drug trafficking. She pleaded guilty in the central division of the U.S. Western District Court of Missouri in Jefferson City.
The 16 alleged members of the Cut Throat gang were first indicted in January by a federal grand jury after an 18-month investigation by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. This is the first case of Columbia gang activity that is acknowledged by the police department.
William Harold Rogers, 42, of Columbia, is the only defendant who has not entered a guilty plea to drug-trafficking charges in the superseding indictment, but he has a scheduled plea hearing on Monday morning.