Sheriff faces meth charge in state ravaged by drug
Monday, April 18, 2011
VAN BUREN, Mo. (AP) — One county on the edge of the Missouri Ozarks seemed oddly immune to the scourge of methamphetamine ravaging the state, boasting few meth raids or arrests in recent years. Some residents now think they know why, after a meth bust landed the Carter County sheriff himself in jail.
In this April 11, 2011 photo, a road runs through the small southern Missouri town of Van Buren, the county seat of Carter County. Former Carter County Sheriff Tommy Adams was recently arrested by the Missouri Highway Patrol for allegedly distributing methamphetamine and accused of snorting it through a straw in his cabin on the edge of the Missouri Ozarks. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
In this April 11, 2011 photo, the Carter County Sheriff's Office is seen in Van Buren, Mo. Former Carter County Sheriff Tommy Adams was recently arrested by the Missouri Highway Patrol on a warrant charging him with distribution of methamphetamine and remains in jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
In this April 11, 2011 photo, interim Carter County Sheriff Richard Stephens stands in his office in Van Buren, Mo. Stephens has taken over the position after former Carter County Sheriff Tommy Adams was recently arrested by the Missouri Highway Patrol on a warrant charging him with distribution of methamphetamine. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
In this photo provided by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office, former Carter County Sheriff Tommy Adams is shown in his booking photo. Adams was recently arrested by the Missouri Highway Patrol on a warrant charging him with distribution of methamphetamine and remains in jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond. (AP Photo/Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office)
In this Sept. 2, 2010 file photo, Franklin County Detective Don Blankenship, right, hands evidence through a window to fellow detective Darryl Balleydier during a raid of a suspected meth house in Gerald, Mo. Several states ravaged by methamphetamine may have to scale back efforts to bust the labs that produce the drug because federal funds dedicated to helping states clean up the toxic sites have dried up, officials say. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
In this Sept. 2, 2010 file photo, Franklin County Detective Don Blankenship hands evidence through a window to another law enforcement officer during a raid of a suspected meth house in Gerald, Mo. Several states ravaged by methamphetamine may have to scale back efforts to bust the labs that produce the drug because federal funds dedicated to helping states clean up the toxic sites have dried up, officials say. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
