A Jefferson City man was placed on five years supervised probation after pleading guilty to charges in connection with two separate illegal narcotics cases.
During a hearing before Cole County Judge Cotton Walker, Joseph Houser, 40, pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance in June 2019. Misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance, driving without a license, failure to signal and two counts of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia were all dismissed.
If he is found to have violated conditions of his parole, he faces a 10-year prison sentence.
Officers stopped Houser for not signalling a turn from East Ashley Street onto Madison Street, according to a Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement.
Houser exited his vehicle and failed to stop when officers told him to. He was placed in handcuffs and detained.
He denied consent to search his vehicle, so a K-9 unit was brought in. The dog indicated to officers there were illegal drugs inside.
When they searched the vehicle, officers found $4,200 in cash in a box along with a small bag of marijuana; two bags of a white, crystal substance believed to be methamphetamine; two plastic bags containing several smaller plastic bags; and a digital scale.
When questioned by investigators, Houser admitted the box where these items were found was his, and the money was mostly his. He said he used meth but did not sell it.
Houser also pleaded guilty to resisting arrest along with being in possession of illegal drugs in April 2019.
Just as in the earlier case, Houser was placed on five years supervised probation and faces 10 years in prison if he violates terms of his probation.
A deputy pulled Houser over in the 600 block of Empire Drive, knowing Houser did not have a valid driver's license, according to a Cole County Sheriff's Department probable cause statement.
Houser tried to switch places with the passenger in the car but was unsuccessful. He also had a bag of marijuana he tried to conceal from the deputy. When questioned, Houser refused to turn over the bag and eventually had to be taken down to the ground before he turned it over.
Search of his vehicle turned up more marijuana along with methamphetamine, a glass pipe, digital scale, small plastic bags and $2,600 in cash.