Missouri House candidate charged in alleged plot to plant cocaine on opponent
Federal prosecutors say Thomas Ross discussed planting cocaine and Adderall on his primary opponent to damage her campaign, and he won by 32 votes.
- Thomas Ross, the Republican nominee for Missouri House District 161, was arrested Wednesday on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, allegedly plotting to plant cocaine and Adderall on primary opponent Louise Secker.
- Joplin Police launched an investigation on July 30 after Ross' former campaign manager turned over a nylon glove containing cocaine and Adderall, per a federal criminal complaint alleging Ross directed the plot while vacationing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
- Court documents reveal Ross and the manager discussed the plot in coded language as the "substance of the matter"; during a recorded July 31 meeting, Ross allegedly told the manager, "If you can pull it off…pull it off."
- Missouri Republican Party Chairman Peter Kinder and the Jasper County Republican Central Committee called on Ross to "immediately withdraw his candidacy" Wednesday, citing the "serious and deeply troubling" circumstances of his arrest.
- Ross, who won the primary by 32 votes, has until Tuesday, September 8, to withdraw under state law, while Democratic nominee Aaron Metzger pledged to continue his campaign for "real representation" in Joplin.
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61 Articles
Missouri statehouse candidate accused of trying to plant drugs on opponent - Regional Media News
By Steve Gorman Sept 3 (Reuters) - The Republican nominee for a Missouri statehouse seat has been charged in federal court with conspiracy to distribute narcotics, accused of plotting to plant drugs on his primary election rival in the final months of the race. Thomas [...]
Missouri statehouse candidate accused of trying to plant drugs on opponent
By Steve Gorman Sept 3 (Reuters) – The Republican nominee for a Missouri statehouse seat has been charged in federal court with conspiracy to distribute narcotics, accused of plotting to plant drugs on his primary election rival in the final months of the race. Thomas Christopher Ross, 37, who won the Republican primary for the 161st district of the Missouri House of Representatives by a mere 33 votes in August, was charged in a single-count c…
GOP candidate gets busted allegedly trying to plant drugs on his political rival
A Republican candidate for the Missouri state House is facing federal drug charges after newly unsealed court documents revealed an alleged plot to frame his political opponent by planting cocaine and prescription pills in her purse.Thomas Christopher Ross, 37, made his initial court appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in Springfield, where he faced one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled su…
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