State v. Todd

70 S.W.3d 509, 2002 Mo. App. LEXIS 74, 2002 WL 75952
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 22, 2002
DocketWD 58855
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 70 S.W.3d 509 (State v. Todd) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Todd, 70 S.W.3d 509, 2002 Mo. App. LEXIS 74, 2002 WL 75952 (Mo. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

*513 HAROLD L. LOWENSTEIN, Judge.

Appellant, David A. Todd, appeals from his conviction and sentence of a total of twenty-one years for four counts of possession of ephedrine with intent to manufacture, § 195.246, 1 seven counts of creation of a controlled substance, § 195.420, five counts of the unlawful use of drug paraphernalia, § 195.233, and five counts of the attempt to manufacture methamphetamine, § 195.211. The judgment is affirmed in part and reversed in part.

Factual and Procedural History

A. Background Facts

In the summer of 1999, Mark A. Morgan (Morgan), a Pettis County deputy sheriff, was working as an undercover narcotics officer in Sedalia, Missouri. Morgan got a job at Rival Manufacturing in Sedalia and began socializing with fellow employees after work, mainly at Ed Nowell’s (Nowell’s) house. In July of 1999, Morgan met the appellant, Todd, for the first time at No-well’s house when Todd showed up there and announced he wanted to “do a cook.” Approximately a month later when Morgan went to Nowell’s house, Todd, Nowell and David L. Paxton (L.Paxton) were there, the house was full of smoke and it smelled like chemicals. Morgan saw Todd take some glass jars containing a liquid out to an older model tan or yellow van. Todd announced that he was “going to finish it.”

Morgan also met a woman named Andrea while working at Rival. In August of 1999, when Morgan and Andrea were at Nowell’s house, Andrea stated that she wanted some “speed” and Nowell suggested that she ask Todd for some. Morgan drove Andrea to Todd’s house. When Andrea asked Todd if he had any speed, he said he did not and suggested that she try back later.

On September 7, 1999, Morgan was at Nowell’s house when Todd stopped by to get some coffee filters. Approximately two weeks later, on September 23, 1999, Morgan had a conversation with Todd concerning a portable spotlight Todd had with him. Todd told Morgan that he planned to use the spotlight to shine it in the eyes of law enforcement if they were pursuing him so that he could throw things out the window of his vehicle.

B. October 3, 1999 (Counts I — IV)

On October 3, 1999, Morgan was at No-well’s house when Todd arrived carrying a couple bottles of pills. Todd asked if either Nowell or Morgan had any lithium batteries. Morgan gave him the battery from his flashlight in exchange for $11. Todd peeled the outer casings of the battery off with a pair of pliers. He then crushed the pills with a car antenna, put the powder in a bottle, and placed the bottle in his van. When he returned to Nowell’s house he was carrying candy jars under his coat. He took the jars to a back bedroom and asked Nowell and Morgan to go buy him some kerosene and more pills. Morgan drove Nowell to a Conoco gas station where Nowell obtained a can of kerosene and one bottle of pills. When they returned to Nowell’s house, Nowell took the kerosene and bottle of pills to Todd. When Todd came out of the bedroom he was carrying some jars and coffee filters. He shook a white substance off of the coffee filters onto a mirror, and then chopped it up into a powder with Morgan’s driver’s license. Todd divided the powder giving half to himself and half to Nowell.

This sequence of events gave rise to Todd’s charges for Counts I through IV. Count I, possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture metham *514 phetamine, § 195.246; Count II, creation of a controlled substance by possessing lithium with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine, § 195.420; Count III, unlawful use of drug paraphernalia, by possessing pliers, a car antennae, and coffee filters with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine, § 195.283; and Count IV, attempt to manufacture methamphetamine, § 195.211.

C. October 7-8, 1999 (Counts V — VII) (Todd’s Point I.)

On October 7, 1999, Morgan was at No-well’s house when a dark green Lincoln Navigator, driven by someone named “Ricky,” pulled in front of the house. Todd, his girlfriend LaCrista Neel (Neel), and L. Paxton all got out of the vehicle. Todd had two cans of Toluene that he put in L. Paxton’s blue four-door Chevrolet Impala.

On the following evening, October 8, 1999, two Pettis County sheriffs deputies were dispatched to the Longwood area in the northeast part of Pettis County to investigate reports of suspicious activity at a trailer. It was dark when they arrived. They observed a Chevrolet Caprice parked on one side of the trailer. David W. Pax-ton (W.Paxton) and L. Paxton, were standing on each side of the car. When the deputies announced themselves, they heard a vehicle start. A white van drove around the north end of the trailer.

William J. Connor (Deputy Connor), also a Pettis County sheriffs deputy, received a radio dispatch containing a description and license plate number of the van. Deputy Connor was parked at an intersection and was looking at a map when a van drove by. Deputy Connor began following the van and noticed flashes of light coming from the driver’s side. He then activated the lights and siren on his car. The van speeded up and continued to shine the spotlight towards Deputy Connor’s vehicle. While following the van, Deputy Connor observed what appeared to be two-gallon jugs or cans being thrown from the van. Deputy Connor’s car struck one of the jugs or cans.

After pursuing the van for several miles, it finally stopped when it got stuck in mud. A man and a woman got out of the van and ran. Deputy Connor captured Neel in the woods not far from the van and ordered Todd, who was hiding in the woods, to surrender. Deputy Connor went back to where the two cans or jugs were tossed out of the van and recovered two cans of Toluene.

The Paxton vehicle that was parked next to the trailer was towed and searched. Deputies found coffee filters containing pills in the glove compartment and a receipt from Dugan Paint for Toluene. Inside the trailer the deputies found a tank of anhydrous ammonia, a “For Sale” sign for the white van, coffee filters, a smoker, an empty pseudoephedrine pill bottle, a modified fire extinguisher, a fifty-five gallon drum that had been cut in half, and a pressurized silver container.

Based on this incident, Todd was charged with Counts V through VII: Count V, creation of a controlled substance, by possessing anhydrous ammonia with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, § 195.420; Count VI, attempt to manufacture methamphetamine, § 195.211; and Count VII, unlawful use of drug paraphernalia by possessing coffee filters, anhydrous ammonia, plastic containers and spoons with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine, § 195.283.

D. November 19 — 22 (Counts VIII — X)

Morgan was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon by officers who did not know that he was an undercover deputy. *515 Morgan used the arrest to tell Todd that he need to make some fast money to get out of town. Morgan asked Todd what $1,500 “would get him,” meaning that he wanted to purchase methamphetamine. Todd told Morgan that he would have to “participate,” because he believed that would preclude Morgan from setting him up.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
70 S.W.3d 509, 2002 Mo. App. LEXIS 74, 2002 WL 75952, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-todd-moctapp-2002.