Two Stoddard Countians charged with drug trafficking

BLOOMFIELD — Two Stoddard County residents appeared in court Tuesday morning on drug trafficking charges after authorities seized more than a pound of suspected methamphetamine from their motel room.

Thomas Aaron Christian, 25, of Bloomfield and Tracy Fleming, 37, of Dexter appeared before Associate Circuit Judge Joe Satterfield for arraignment on the Class B felony of second-degree trafficking and the Class E felony of unlawful use of a weapon.

Christian and Fleming were formally arraigned by Satterfield, according to court personnel.

Christian

Rance Butler with the Public Defender’s Office reportedly entered an appearance on Fleming’s behalf, and a “conflict counsel” will be assigned to Christian’s case as he also qualifies for a public defender.

Satterfield ordered both Fleming and Christian to appear at 1 p.m. Thursday for bond hearings in their cases.

Christian and Fleming were charged Monday as the result of what Sheriff Carl Hefner described as an “ongoing investigation into drug trafficking in Stoddard County.”

Fleming

A search warrant, Hefner said in a news release, was executed on a room at the Hickory House Motel in Dexter.

Assisting in the Saturday search of the room were officers from the sheriff’s department, Dexter Police Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The room was occupied by Christian and Fleming, according to Stoddard County Deputy Keith Haynes’ probable-cause affidavit.

“Officers located two packages of methamphetamine packaged for sale beside a set of digital scales,” Haynes said. “One of the packages weighed approximately one-fourth ounce; the other weighed approximately one-half ounce.”

Haynes said a large plastic bag containing about 1 pound of suspected methamphetamine also was found in the room, as was “new packaging commonly used to package methamphetamine for sale.”

What Haynes described as a “fake drink can” was found to contain about one and one-half ounces of suspected methamphetamine.

The total weight of the suspected methamphetamine was approximately 546 (19.11 ounces), Hefner said.

“Various prescription pills and a small amount of marijuana were located as well,” Haynes said. “A .25-caliber semiautomatic handgun, with a loaded magazine and box of ammunition (were) located in the room as well.”

Fleming and Christian were booked into the Stoddard County Jail, where they are being held without bond.