Traffic Stop Results In Drug Arrest By Highway Patrol

On March 3, at 5:35 p.m., a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper and members of the South Central Drug Task Force initiated a traffic enforcement stop on U.S. Highway 60 west of Cabool.

The vehicle, a 2004 Ford F-150, was occupied by two male subjects. The driver and passenger exhibited suspicious behavior, and a subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of 4.25 ounces of methamphetamine.

The driver of the vehicle, Raymond Doyle Smotherman, 46, Birch Tree, was arrested for an outstanding Carter County warrant and possession of a controlled substance. As a result of the traffic stop and following investigation, Raymond Doyle Smotherman was charged in Texas County for felony possession of a controlled substance.

The charges for which this individual was arrested are mere accusations and are not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of the charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.