KENNETT — A Dunklin County jury needed just 26 minutes Friday to convict a Kennett man of distributing a controlled substance near a protected location.
Dewayne A. Cross, 40, of Kennett was convicted of selling methamphetamine near Kennett High School, according to a press release from the Dunklin County Prosecutor’s Office. Judge Robert Mayer presided over the trial.
Cross sold methamphetamine to an undercover police officer at his house in Kennett on Dec. 19, 2018, and Jan. 4, 2019 — offenses enhanced by the sales occurring within 2,000 feet of Kennett High School.
In addition to Friday’s convictions, Cross also has two prior convictions for distributing controlled substances, qualifying him as a prior and persistent drug offender.
Cross will be sentenced by Mayer on Feb. 22, and faces between 10 and 30 years — or life — on each of the two counts.
Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Jain thanks the SEMO Drug Task Force, the Dunklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol for their professional and diligent work in this case.