Missouri Man Being Held On Half-Million Dollar Bond In Centralia Beating Case

A 27-year-old St. Charles, Missouri man who was being sought for the alleged savage beating of a 20-year-old Centralia woman at her residence last December has been arrested in St. Louis, Missouri.  

Cedrick Powe is being held on a Marion County warrant charging attempted first degree murder, aggravated battery and aggravated domestic battery in connection with the December 27th attack on 20-year-old Chelsea Simmons of Centralia.  Bond is set at a half-million dollars.  Powe is expected to appear in court Tuesday in Missouri to see if he will waive extradition back to Illinois on the charges.  

The charges contained in the warrant accuse Powe of taking a substantial step towards first degree murder or causing great bodily harm by strangling Simmons.  The aggravated domestic battery charge is also based on the attempt to strangle Simmons. The aggravated battery charge accuses Powe of punching and kicking Simmons.  

Information contained in an order of protection received by Simmons the day after the December attack accuse Powe of beating her nearly to the point of death, leaving her with permanent blindness in her left eye.   The order of protection also details other alleged acts of violence dating back to September of 2012.  One of those incidents involved a February 2013 beating and kidnapping where Powe allegedly called her family demanding money in exchange for her return.  

Police had been searching for Powe since he is believed to have left Centralia following the December incident.  He was out on bond on an unrelated theft case at the time.   No details have been released on where St. Louis police found Powe.