A De Soto man who allegedly was found with illegal drugs on two separate occasions last year was recently released from jail on his own recognizance, according to court documents.
Brandon Michael Pyrtle, 43, was charged on Jan. 9 with felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia after he was arrested by De Soto Police last year. He also was charged on Jan. 27 with the same felony and misdemeanor charges following an arrested by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office last year, court records show.
Pyrtle was arrested on Feb. 21, and he was released on Feb. 23 from the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court and jail documents said.
According to a probable-cause statement filed by the De Soto Police, an officer on June 30, 2025, saw Pyrtle outside of the Subway restaurant, 2108 Rock Road, and arrested him on outstanding warrants. Pyrtle was transported to the Police Station, and while he was being booked, an officer allegedly found Pyrtle had a syringe with a red liquid substance in it and three empty syringes stored in a flask.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol identified the liquid as methamphetamine on Sept. 17, 2025, the report said.
According to a probable-cause statement filed by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy on Sept. 12, 2025, was called to the area of Harrison Road and Mount Olive Road south of De Soto because Pyrtle was allegedly trespassing on private property.
Pyrtle was arrested on active warrants, and a police dog indicated there may be illegal drugs in a 2007 Ford Explorer that Pyrtle arrived in. A deputy allegedly found a syringe with an unknown substance in it and a container that had an unknown substance in it that was inside the SUV, the report said.
The highway patrol identified the two substances as meth on Jan. 7, according to the report.
Pyrtle is considered a prior and persistent offender. He was found guilty of at least two prior drug possession offense in December 2015 in St. Francois County, court records show.