Thomas Foster, 47, of Arnold has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug possession as a prior and persistent offender. He also had his probation revoked for a prior sentence he received for possession of a controlled substance, court records show.
On April 22, Foster pleaded guilty to two possession of controlled substance charges he received following arrests in March and April 2023. Jefferson County Div. 4 Circuit Judge Brenda Stacey sentenced him to 10 years in prison for each drug charge, according to court documents.
Stacey also revoked Foster’s probation, which he received after pleading guilty to drug possession in May 2022. He had been sentenced to 10 years in prison, but the sentence was suspended and he was placed on five years’ probation, court records said.
Foster will serve the two sentences concurrently, or at the same time, for a total of 10 years, court documents show.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Lindsay Whalen prosecuted the case.
Foster was arrested on April 5, 2023, by a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy after he was seen leaving a home known for distributing methamphetamine. The deputy stopped Foster when the vehicle Foster was driving sped through the subdivision over the posted 20-mph speed limit, the probable-cause statement said.
The deputy found meth in Foster’s coat pocket following the traffic stop, the report said.
Foster had been arrested a month before when he was seen leaving a home known for distributing meth and for failing to stop at a stop sign. A Sheriff’s Office police dog detected illegal substances in the vehicle Foster was driving, the case’s probable-cause statement said.
When the deputy searched Foster, he found meth, a glass pipe and digital scale in Foster’s coat pocket, the report said.
In the prior case, Foster had been arrested in June 2019 by a Festus Police officer after he was found slumped in the driver’s seat of car parked outside of the Walgreen’s pharmacy, 519 S. Truman Blvd. Foster was holding a bag that had meth in it when the officer contacted him, and the officer found two smoking devices and two scales in the car, according to the case’s probable-cause statement.
Foster also pleaded guilty to two charges for distributing drugs in May 2011. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in May 2011, but those sentences were suspended and he was placed on five years’ probation, court documents said.