A House Springs man is facing a drug charge after a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy allegedly saw him throw an illegal drug behind a car wash east of De Soto. The deputy had approached the man because the officer believed the man had contacted the authorities about a complaint, according to court documents.
Joshua M. Simmons, 35, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, a class D felony. However, Simmons has been convicted of at least one prior felony possession charge, and the drug charge is considered a class C felony, punishable by three to 10 years in prison, court records said.
Simmons was found guilty of felony drug possession in September 2021 in Pulaski County, court documents show.
He was arrested on Oct. 17 in Jefferson County, and on Oct. 22, he was released on a written promise to appear in court on Nov. 17, court records said.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, a deputy was dispatched to the 4000 block of Athena School Road east of De Soto after someone had called with a complaint. Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said the deputy was told the person who called the complaint would be walking in the area, and the deputy saw Simmons and believed he was the person who had contacted authorities.
Simmons allegedly threw the object behind the car wash as the deputy approached him. The deputy retrieved the object, which the Missouri State Highway Patrol on May 25 reported was methamphetamine, the report said.