Missouri car accident leads to felony drug charges

Being involved in a car accident is a stressful event. Unfortunately, a person still recovering from the shock of an accident often finds him- or herself facing questions from law enforcement officials. Because of physical injuries and the emotional response, those in such a situation may not be fully cognizant of the implications of the information they provide. In fact, a man in Missouri now faces drug charges after he was involved in a car accident.

The incident happened in Sept. 2018. A Missouri State Trooper claims that he arrived at the scene of an accident involving two vehicles. The occupants of one of the vehicles claim that the driver of the other, a 25-year-old man, struck them from the rear. Two police officers at the scene were searching through two bags and reportedly told the trooper that, when they arrived, they witnessed the man placing items in the bags, and they discovered a large quantity of cash.

Suspecting that the man was under the influence, the trooper requested a blood draw, which the man granted. However, he declined permission for the officer to search two bags. As a result, the trooper requested assistance from a K-9 unit, which allegedly alerted them to both the man's bags and vehicles, providing probable cause for a search. The search reportedly revealed several types of drugs and drug paraphernalia; the trooper claims that, when he asked the man if he sells drugs, he replied that he only trades them but did not elaborate on what that meant.

An arrest warrant was issued in March, and now the man faces multiple drug charges, including trafficking of drugs, delivery of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, in addition to several other traffic-related charges. He is currently in prison with a 12-year sentence for manufacture of a controlled substance. Unfortunately, if convicted of the charges he is currently facing, he could spend a significantly longer amount of time behind bars. As such, he may want an experienced attorney on his side, guiding him throughout the criminal justice process.