A Versailles man was sentenced to three years in prison for a 2020 drug charge last week.
Jermone Harrell, 28, pleaded guilty in Cole County to delivery of a controlled substance and received credit for time served in jail since 2020. Firearm charges had been dropped per a plea deal.
A Jefferson City Police Department officer stopped a vehicle Harrell was driving in the 1000 block of Madison Street in June 2020, according to a probable cause statement. The officer said Harrell "was defiant and refused to identify himself," and he was detained while a police dog was requested.
The K-9 sniffed the vehicle and indicated narcotics inside. The vehicle was searched under that probable cause, and 23 individually sealed bags of marijuana in two containers were located behind the passenger's seat, as well as a loaded .45-caliber handgun under the driver's seat, according to the statement.
An additional magazine for the firearm and a marijuana cigar were located in the center console. A bag with marijuana and money, "consistent with the sales of narcotics," was also reportedly located in the trunk.
Harrell was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of previous felony convictions.