Gary Dewayne Willard, 48, formerly of Fenton, has been charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, being a felon in possession of one or more firearms and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has announced.
Willard, who most recently lived in St. Louis, was charged by federal complaint on June 30, the attorney’s office said in a press release.
Willard previously pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in a case that was investigated in Jefferson County. In that case, Willard reportedly worked with Paul Garcia, 41, of Barnhart to distribute more than 50 grams of meth in 2018 in Jefferson County, the complaint said.
On March 3, Willard pleaded guilty to the drug trafficking charge stemming from the Jefferson County incident involving Garcia, and Willard was allowed to remain free on bond. However, federal law enforcement officers discovered Willard allegedly was still involved in distributing meth in violation of his pre-trial release. On June 30, officers searched Willard’s St. Louis home, where they allegedly found illegal narcotics and drugs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Investigators also allegedly found a loaded H&K 9mm semi-automatic handgun at the foot of Willard’s bed, a loaded Taurus Judge .45 Long Colt/410 revolver in a large safe at the foot of his bed and an unloaded Davis Industries .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun with a defaced serial number in a smaller safe that was on top of the large safe. Officers also found more than 500 rounds of ammunition in the living room, the report said.
Along with the guns and ammunition, officers allegedly found more than 140 grams of meth in a bag and other bags containing various pills and powders in the large safe, and they allegedly found $72,003 in cash in Willard’s bedroom. Officers also allegedly found items commonly used to make meth in the home’s living room and kitchen, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The latest charges are being investigated by the FBI, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and St. Louis County Police.
In the federal case that links Willard and Garcia, U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry of the Eastern District of Missouri Court in St. Louis handed down the 10-year sentence on May 7 to Garcia, who pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sheriff’s Office had been investigating Garcia since August 2018 for reportedly trafficking in methamphetamine in an around Jefferson County.
In September 14, 2018, Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped Garcia for speeding on Hwy. MM near Old Hwy. 21. When he was asked to step out of the vehicle, he reached for a baseball bat, the report said.
When deputies searched the car, they found a silver baseball bat and a Rock Island Armory .38 SPL revolver. They also found a small black bag containing metal knuckles and .38 caliber bullets. Garcia admitted he kept the revolver in his glove box for protection in connection with his methamphetamine trafficking activities, according to the report.
Also on June 9, Garcia was sentenced to seven years in prison for allegedly abusing a dog last year in Jefferson County. He was charged with felony animal abuse and armed criminal action in the case and entered an Alford Plea, which means he did not admit guilt but agreed there was sufficient evidence to find him guilty of the offenses.
Jefferson County Div. 4 Circuit Judge Brenda Stacey sentenced Garcia to seven years for the animal abuse charge and three years for the armed criminal action charge. However, those sentences will be served concurrently, or at the same time, with each other and his 10-year federal prison term.