On July 10, two Missouri men were arrested on alleged drug possession charges after police responded to a report of an abandoned vehicle. The incident took place in Moniteau County.
According to media outlets, deputies from the Moniteau County Sheriff’s Department were asked to investigate a vehicle that had been reported abandoned on Route C near Missouri 87. Once they were on the scene, the deputies spotted one of the defendants, a 32-year-old Jefferson City man, walking along Route C. They asked for his identification and found that he had a revoked driver’s license. However, he claimed that he had not been driving the abandoned vehicle and said that the car’s driver, a 26-year-old Henley man, was at a gas station in the nearby town of California.
Troopers from the Missouri Highway Patrol were dispatched to the gas station to question the driver and discovered that he had an outstanding felony arrest warrant for a parole violation. The Moniteau County Sheriff’s deputies then searched the abandoned vehicle and claim to have uncovered unspecified amounts of methamphetamine and marijuana. They also reportedly found drug paraphernalia. The men were arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. They are each being held on a $50,000 bond.
Individuals facing drug charges could incur a number of harsh penalties if convicted, including incarceration and heavy fines. In some cases, a criminal defense attorney might be able to develop a defense against the accusations and get the charges dropped. In other cases, the attorney may be able to negotiate a plea deal that reduces the charges and lowers the penalties.