Daniel Jacob Warden, 45, of De Soto, a prior offender, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for drug and gun violations, and he is awaiting trial for three other felony and three misdemeanor charges, according to court documents.
Warden, formerly of Festus, pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to deliver it, as well as illegal possession of a firearm, and on Oct. 12, Jefferson County Div. 4 Circuit Judge Mark T. Stoll sentenced him to 15 years in prison for the drug charge and seven years for the gun charge. The two sentences are to be served concurrently, or at the same time, and Warden could be released early if he successfully completes a 24-month treatment program, court records indicate.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Trisha C. Stefanski handled the case.
On Jan. 11, 2016, police searched Warden’s residence at High Hill Lane in Festus and found a black nylon holster in his closet. Warden, who had a previous conviction for manufacturing drugs, told the officers he did not have a gun. However, police found a black-and-silver semiautomatic handgun, along with a black, magnetic box that contained several small plastic bags of meth, under cardboard at the bottom of the closet, the probable-cause statement said.
Police also discovered two more plastic bags containing meth, 11 live .40-caliber rounds, an open box containing 44 .40-caliber bullets and a digital scale in the closet. Syringes, glass smoking pipes, small plastic bags and a metal spoon with residue on it also were found in the room, the report said.
Warden is currently in the Franklin County Adult Detention Facility in Union and faces charges in Jefferson County for four other cases, according to court records.
Warden is scheduled to appear in Jefferson County Div. 11 Associate Circuit Court on Dec. 19 for misdemeanor charges for failure to register a motor vehicle and have proof of insurance from a November 2015 incident in Jefferson County, and for a misdemeanor drug charge from an August 2016 incident in Jefferson County, according to court papers.
He is scheduled for arraignment on Feb. 5 in Jefferson County Div. 4 Circuit Court for felony drug and firearm possession charges from an April 2016 incident in Jefferson County, as well as charges for felony delivering of a controlled substance from a July 2017 incident in Jefferson County.
He was convicted in 2006 for attempting to make a controlled substance, a felony.