Douglas Preston Buffer, 38, of Imperial has been sentenced to 15 years in prison following several felony charges and a probation violation, according to court records.
Buffer pleaded guilty to first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle and two counts of possession of a controlled substance, all class D felonies, stemming from a March 2018 incident in Arnold. On April 25, Jefferson County Div. 1 Circuit Judge Joseph Alfred Rathert sentenced Buffer to seven years for each of the three felonies, court papers show.
In March 2016, Buffer had been sentenced to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to several felony receiving stolen property charges stemming from incidents in 2014 in Jefferson County. After completing a 120-day treatment program, however, that 15-year sentence was suspended, and Buffer was released in July 2016 and placed on five years’ probation, according to court documents.
Buffer violated the probation, though, and on April 25, Rathert also executed that 15-year sentence, to be served concurrently, or at the same time, with the seven-year terms. Buffer, however, may be released early if he successfully completes a one-year treatment program, according to court documents.
On March 25, 2018, Buffer was found at 4:15 p.m. in the 300 block of Rockview Circle in Arnold standing outside a car that had been reported stolen from Commuter Lane. The ignition on the car had been tampered with and a screwdriver was found on the floorboard, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
Buffer was arrested, and when he was searched, the officer found a clear-plastic bag that contained a crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine. The officer also found Buffer’s jacket inside the car, and inside the jacket, a prescription pill bottle containing pills that tested positive for morphine and hydromorphone, the report said.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Timothy Bowe handled the case.
In the previous case, Buffer was found Oct. 23, 2014, at his former home in the 4800 block of Connors Drive in House Springs with $44,500 in stolen items, including a camper, a trailer, an ATV, a hot tub, appliances, and light and plumbing fixtures. Those items had been stolen from three victims, the probable-cause statement in that case said.
That same day a stolen dump truck valued at $57,800 was found at a home in the 4300 block of Lakeview Drive in Hillsboro, and the owners of that home told authorities that Buffer had asked to store it there. In addition, a stolen light tower worth about $7,900 was found at a home in the 3900 block of Hawthorn Drive in Imperial, and the owner said Buffer dropped off the item there, the report said.
A stolen street sweeper valued at about $25,000 was found near that Imperial home at the end of Country Club Drive, and that same homeowner said Buffer had dropped it off there. Also that day a stolen boat valued at $2,500 and a handgun worth about $400 were found at a home in the 5000 block of Meadow Drive in Imperial, where Buffer had left them, according to the report.
About a week earlier, Buffer stole a different boat, motor and trailer from another victim in Jefferson County. In all, Buffer either received or stolen property from 10 victims, court records indicate.
Buffer currently is in the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre.