Dean Allen Hedge, 68, who lives south of De Soto, has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to four felony charges. He also was fined $100 for two misdemeanor charges, according to court documents.
Hedge on Sept. 2 pleaded guilty to felony charges of delivering a controlled substance, drug trafficking and two counts of driving with a revoked license. He also admitted to driving without proof of insurance and speeding, which are misdemeanor violations, court records show.
Jefferson County Div. 1 Circuit Judge Joseph Rathert sentenced Hedge to eight years in prison for each of the felony drug charges and four years in prison for each of the revoked license charges. However, the sentences will be served concurrently, or at the same time, for a total of eight years, court documents show.
Rathert also ordered Hedge to pay fines of $50 each for the insurance and speeding violation, court records said.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Lindsay Whalen prosecuted the cases.
Hedge was arrested three times between May 2023 and February 2024, court papers show.
Hedge was first arrested in May 2023 by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper following a crash on Klondike Road near McClain Drive south of De Soto. He had driven an Oldsmobile Intrigue off the west side of the road and hit a tree, the case’s probable-cause statement said.
The trooper learned Hedge’s driver’s license had been revoked at least 13 times and that Hedge was on probation for driving with a revoked license at the time, the report said.
A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy in November 2023 arrested Hedge after stopping him for speeding on Upper Plattin Road east of De Soto. Hedge was driving approximately 61 mph in a 30-mph zone, according to the case’s probable-cause statement.
The deputy learned Hedge was driving with a revoked license, and he also found crystalized substances in Hedge’s jacket and pants pockets. Hedge told the deputy he was selling methamphetamine to earn money because his disability checks did not cover his expenses, the report said.
Hedge was arrested again by deputies when they executed a search warrant at a home in the 400 block of Hillside Road south of De Soto. Hedge had a large amount of a substance of meth with him when deputies arrived, and he told a deputy he intended to sell the meth, the case’s probable-cause statement said.
Deputies then searched the home, and they found more meth in a bedroom, the report said.
Hedge currently is in the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre.