Russell Richard Beauvais Jr., 33, of De Soto was recently arrested for failing to appear in court for a drug possession charge. He failed to appear on Dec. 8 and was arrested on Jan. 16, according to court and jail records.
Beauvais has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, a class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison. As of Jan. 19, he was being held on a $5,000 bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court documents said.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, a De Soto Police officer arrested Beauvais on Nov. 4, 2024, near the entrance of the Grace Life Church, 1000 N. Main St., in De Soto. Beauvais was wanted on active warrants.
The officer allegedly found a suspected illegal substance in a bag that Beauvais had when he was arrested. The Missouri State Highway Patrol tested the substance, and on May 19, 2025, the substance was determined to be methamphetamine, the report said.