Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced today that, through the Safer Streets Initiative, his office has secured a 13-count indictment against six defendants in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, which include counts of Conspiracy to Distribute 500 grams or more of Methamphetamine, Distribution of 5 grams or more of Actual Methamphetamine, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
The list of defendants includes Donald “Andy” Nolen, Gregory M. Singleton, Jr., Justin T. Padgett, Eric M. Stilley, Devin E. Lawson, and Eric S. Sheridan.
“I launched the Safer Streets Initiative when I first took office in 2019 to curb violent crime and secure our streets,” said Attorney General Eric Schmitt. “My Office has worked tirelessly to prosecute Missouri’s most violent offenders to make our communities safer, and this indictment is a step forward toward that goal.”
All six defendants have been charged with Conspiracy to Distribute 500 Grams or more of Methamphetamine that is alleged to have occurred between August 15, 2021, and August 2, 2022.
Each of the defendants were additionally charged with:
- Nolen: Possession with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine and Distribution of 5 Grams or More of Actual Methamphetamine.
- Singleton, Jr.: Three counts of Distribution of 5 Grams or More of Actual Methamphetamine.
- Padgett: One count of Possession with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, one count of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime and one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, after being found in possession of a Smith & Wesson, .22 caliber, semi-automatic rifle, and a Kimber .38 Super caliber, semi-automatic handgun. Padgett had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.
- Stilley: Two counts of Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Actual Methamphetamine.
- Lawson: One count of Possession with Intent to Distribute 5 Grams or More of Actual Methamphetamine.
- Sheridan: One count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
If convicted, each of the defendants faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and up to life imprisonment.
Assistant Attorney General Brandon Gibson, who had been deputized through the Missouri Attorney General’s Safer Streets Initiative to serve as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, handled the case.
More about the charges can be found here.
