Donald William Beene Sr., 48, of Imperial has been charged with drug trafficking after substances found in a car he was driving tested positive for methamphetamine and fentanyl, according to court documents.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Beene with second-degree drug trafficking, a class B felony punishable by five to 15 years in prison; and possession of a controlled substance, a class D felony that carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison, court records show.
Beene was arrested on Aug. 23, and as of Monday, Aug. 25, he was being held on a $10,000 bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court documents said.
In August 2024, Beene was driving a 2006 Volkswagen Passat south on Old Hwy. 141 near Corisande Hills Road in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton when a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy stopped him. The deputy stopped the car because a Flock license-plate reading camera identified the Passat as being stolen and having stolen license plates, according to the case’s probable-cause statement.
The deputy learned the car had not been reported stolen, but he found out the license plates had been reported stolen. A different deputy responded to the traffic stop, and when he searched the Passat, he found two substances suspected of being illegal narcotics, the report said
When the substances were tested by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, they tested positive as meth and fentanyl, according to a report filed on April 3.