Michael Stephen Taggart, 50, of Dittmer was recently arrested on charges for possession of controlled substances and tampering with a motor vehicle. He was arrested on June 25, and four days later, he was released on his own recognizance from the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, according to court documents.
In April, Taggart had been charged with two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, a felony count of driving while revoked and a felony count of first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle following two separate arrests last year, court records show.
According to a probable-cause statement filed by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Officer, Taggart was driving a 2007 Honda Accord on Dec. 27, 2025, that did not have illumination over the rear license plate. He was stopped on the entrance ramp to I-55 from Hwy. 61 in Festus, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Taggart allegedly told the deputy where illegal drugs were stored in the car, and the deputy also learned that Taggart’s driver’s license had been revoked, the report said.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol tested the recovered substances and identified them as methamphetamine, according to the report.
Taggart had previously been arrested in June 2025 after he was stopped by a deputy for driving a stolen 2000 Ford F-250 near the intersection of Flucom and Bader roads southeast of De Soto. Taggart allegedly told the deputy that the pickup was not his, but he had borrowed it to move his possessions, according to the case’s probable-cause statement.