A traffic stop by West Plains Police officers recently resulted in the arrest of two West Plains residents who now face felony drug and weapons charges.
Damian P. Henry, 24, is charged with possession of a controlled substance and unlawful use of a weapon by possessing a weapon and a controlled substance, and Miera P. Thomas, 30, is charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Court records submitted by Cpl. Thomas Manning show Thomas was the driver of a pickup truck with an unreadable license plate, for which she was pulled over at about 8:42 p.m. April 2 by Manning.
After being advised of the reason for the stop, Thomas was asked if she would consent to a search of her person, and she did, Manning stated. A small amount of cash was found, and the officer asked if she had stopped using methamphetamine, and Manning noted she got nervous and shaky.
Manning said he then asked her if there was anything that would be found in the vehicle, and she replied she didn't think so but she knew who her passenger was and "what he's known for."
Thomas was asked for consent to search the vehicle, but said it wasn't her vehicle and refused consent.
Cpl. Brent McKemie then arrived with his K-9 partner "Tito," and the dog alerted while sniffing around the vehicle, indicating the likely presence of illegal drugs and giving the officers probable cause to search it.
Officer Jacob Brixey then searched the truck and reportedly found a pack of cigarettes on the driver's side with two plastic baggies inside, one with a white residue and another with about 2.5 grams of crystallized shards that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
Also reportedly found, behind the seat where Henry was sitting, was an unsecured lock box with an eyeglass case in it that contained a glass pipe in a style commonly used for smoking meth and $375 in cash.
A firearm was found in the truck bed inside a tan jacket, and Thomas reportedly told officers Henry had a tan object in his hand when he got in the truck but she didn't see what it was.
When Henry was searched, he had $340 in cash on him in small denominations, according to court documents, and Manning requested the money be forfeited under Missouri Criminal Activity Forfeiture Act rules, as it was suspected it had been used in the commission of multiple criminal activities.
Both were arrested and released April 4 after Henry paid a $7,500 bond and Thomas paid a $5,000 bond.
According to court records, Thomas was formally arraigned Monday and pleaded not guilty to her charge. Having filled out a public defender application, a counsel status hearing has been set for May 20 in the courtroom of Associate 37th Circuit Judge R. David Ray, the docket shows.
Court records show Henry waived formal arraignment and pleaded not guilty that day, and was scheduled to appear in Court before Associate 37th Circuit Judge R. David Ray on Friday for a preliminary hearing, but Howell County Prosecutor Mike Hutchings on Monday filed a motion for continuance, citing the inability of the responding officers to be present. As of Tuesday afternoon, that motion is under review by the judge.
Public Defender Jack Paisley is shown as Henry’s legal representation in the case.
In June 2023, Henry was convicted of possession of a controlled substance, a charge filed separately from an April 2022 incident that led to charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
Henry was later acquitted of murder and armed criminal action after it was found by a jury he acted in the defense of a friend and the passenger in his vehicle, Garrett Harbin, who was being assaulted by a man with a knife.
A search of his vehicle after it had been impounded by the police as part of the shooting investigation turned up a backpack that contained plastic bags and containers that tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, in the form of plant material and a wax substance, plus various amounts of psilocybin mushrooms and meth.
At the time, Henry admitted the bag and contents belonged to him, not Harbin, but fingerprints belonging to both men were found on the bags and containers, resulting in both being charged with three counts each of delivery of a controlled substance.
Henry pleaded guilty to a count of possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to five years with the the sentence suspended on the condition he complete five years of supervised probation.
Harbin, 23, also of West Plains, pleaded guilty to one count of delivery of a controlled substance and in December was handed a seven-year suspended sentence that will not be executed if he successfully completes five years of supervised probation.
