Charles W. Buddemeyer, 58, of Fenton has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for possession of controlled substances. He is a persistent drug offender, with two previous felony convictions.
After Buddemeyer pleaded guilty Jan. 26 to charges stemming from a 2018 arrest in Arnold, Jefferson County Div. 4 Circuit Judge Brenda Stacey sentenced him to 10 years for possession of a controlled substance and three years for possession of methamphetamine, according to court records.
The sentences will be served consecutively, but Buddemeyer may be eligible for early release and probation if he successfully completes a 120-day treatment program, court papers show.
Buddemeyer was arrested Nov. 1, 2018, during a traffic stop in the 300 block of Plaza Way in Arnold. An Arnold Police officer searched the pickup Buddemeyer was driving and found a plastic bag that contained meth, a bottle of lye, a box of pseudoephedrine, cold packs, lithium batteries, lighter fluid and a pill grinder, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
Buddemeyer said he intended to use the items to manufacture meth. He also told police the pseudoephedrine belonged to a passenger in the pickup, and the passenger had agreed to exchange the pseudoephedrine for some of the meth Buddemeyer was going to make, according to the report.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Lindsay E. Whalen handled the case.