Adrian Sherrod Townsend, 45, of Crystal City has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for drug trafficking and other felonies, according to court records.
Townsend entered an Alford plea in a charge against him for second-degree drug trafficking tied to a November 2012 incident in Jefferson County. By entering an Alford plea, Townsend did not admit guilt but agreed there was sufficient evidence to find him guilty of the offense.
In addition, Townsend pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute it, as well as to another drug possession charge and a resisting arrest charge stemming from a February 2016 incident in Jefferson County, court documents indicate.
On July 12, Jefferson County Div. 1 Circuit Judge Joe Rathert sentenced Townsend to 11 years for drug trafficking, 11 years for possession with the intent to distribute, seven years for drug possession and four years for resisting arrest. However, the terms are to be served concurrently, or at the same time, court papers show.
In February 2016, a Joint Fugitive Task Force, which included members from the U.S. Marshal’s St. Louis District and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, was trying to locate Townsend because of outstanding warrants. The task force tracked him to a home in the 200 block of Walnut Street in Crystal City and saw him leaving the house. However, Townsend noticed the unmarked car the task force members were in, and ran away, the probable-cause statement said.
Task Force members ran after Townsend, who fell at the bottom of stairs leading to County Road and dropped a plastic bag that contained a white powdery substance. Townsend was able to get up and continued to run, cutting across two lawns off of County Road. He eventually made his way to a concession stand and tried to hide more drugs under a stairwell. Another plastic bag filled with a white powdery substance was found there, along with a plastic bag with a green vegetative substance inside, the report said.
Eventually, task force members caught up with Townsend, and he was ordered to lay on his stomach with his hands behind his back. Townsend complied and was arrested without further incident, according to the report.
Lab tests revealed the substances Townsend had dropped or tried to hid were cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana, the report said.
In November 2012, Townsend was driving a Chevrolet Cavalier that had been identified as a car used in connection with a shoplifting incident at the Walmart store in Festus. Officers spotted the car leaving the parking lot of the now-closed Magic Carpet Lounge in Festus and police pulled it over in Crystal City. While pursuing the Cavalier, officers saw two objects thrown out of the driver-side car window. The items thrown from the car were a plastic bag that contained a white rock substance, which tested positive for cocaine, and a plastic bag with a green leafy substance, which tested positive for marijuana, according to the report.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Lindsay E. Whalen handled the cases.
Townsend currently is in the Fulton Reception and Diagnostic Center.