Two people have been charged after a narcotics warrant was served Jan. 10 at a home on the 300 block of West Maple Street in West Plains, resulting in the seizure of drug paraphernalia, suspected methamphetamine and other illegal controlled substances, a large amount of cash, and guns, say police.
Christopher A. Wright, 41, is charged with second-degree drug trafficking, unlawful use of a weapon by possessing a weapon and a felony controlled substance, and keeping or maintaining a public nuisance, all felonies. No address is given in case party information in public court records, but an investigative report attached to those records shows Wright was a resident of the home where the warrant was served.
Court records show he was arrested, held on a warrant with a $100,000 bond, and released Friday after posting bond. He is scheduled to appear in court for a bond hearing Jan. 29 before 37th Judicial Associate Circuit Court Judge R. David Ray.
The second suspect, Amy N. 35, Brandsville, charged with felony delivery of a controlled substance, entered a not-guilty plea Friday at her arraignment, and is being held on $50,000 bail, according to court records. She is scheduled to appear today before Ray at a status hearing.
Neither had secured legal representation as of Tuesday afternoon, and both cases are being prosecuted by Howell County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Hutchings and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jodi Wake.
Officer Jacob Brixey, in a probable cause statement submitted to prosecutors, said the search warrant was executed at about 10:39 Jan. 10 at the home, and included outbuildings and all vehicles there.
When questioned at the scene, Wright reportedly stated there were about a quarter-ounce of methamphetamine and three firearms in the house.
However, the search reportedly turned up a variety of controlled substances in addition to the meth, including a bag of suspected psilocybin mushrooms, hydromorphone hydrochloride, methadone, Clonazepam, Adderall, tramadol hydrochloride, Alprazolam and Lorazepam.
Cash in various denominations totaling $2,278 in multiple clear bags was also reportedly seized, plus $807 Wright had on him, in addition to a Norco SKS rifle with two magazines and a round of ammunition, a .22-caliber Remington Viper rifle, a Savage Arms 12-gauge shotgun with 21 rounds of 12-gauge ammunition, and an unknown make and model revolver. Three glass smoking devices and an LG brand cell phone were also seized, according to Brixey's report.
Wright allegedly admitted in a law enforcement interview after his arrest that he had bought and sold meth to "thousands of people,” and that he bought about a quarter-pound of the substance every three or four weeks and had purchased an ounce of the drug about three or four days prior.
Five bags of suspected methamphetamine were seized totaling 35.73 grams, or 1.26 ounces, including the weight of the bags, Brixey stated. He also noted in his report that in September, officers responded to a suspected narcotics overdose at the house, and a woman was found dead, with toxicology results showing the death was associated with a fentanyl overdose and methamphetamine toxicity.
At the time of her arrest it was discovered Bartelt-Poyner had an active warrant for Ozark County charges of felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, filed in August and related to a December 2022 incident. Court records show a summons for an August arraignment was issued, but she failed to appear and a no-bond warrant was issued in September.
She also pleaded not guilty to those charges on Friday, court records show. In 2019, she pleaded guilty to an Oregon County charge of first-degree child endangerment and was handed a five-year suspended imposition of sentence with five years of supervised probation. The probation was later revoked and she was sentenced to three years in prison in October 2020, court records show.
Charges were filed against her in August 2018 after three of her five children tested positive for the presence of amphetamine and meth after a well-being check of the children, reportedly after she had failed a drug test ordered as part of probation. The children's positive drug results were reportedly the result of environmental exposure, and resulted in having the children removed from her custody by the Missouri Division of Family Services.
