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.
42 Articles
42 Articles
Missouri House candidate accused of trying to plant cocaine on primary opponent
Thomas Ross, 37, allegedly handed a black glove containing narcotics to his campaign manager — instructing him to stash it in rival candidate Louise Secker's property in the weeks leading up to the Aug. 4 primary, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
GOP Candidate Tried To Plant Coke On GOP Opponent
CBS News reports: Thomas Ross, a Republican candidate for state representative in Missouri, is facing a federal charge over allegations he instructed his former campaign manager to plant cocaine and amphetamines on a political opponent, the Justice Department announced Thursday. Ross, 37, is charged with one count of conspiring to distribute a controlled substance in … The post GOP Candidate Tried To Plant Coke On GOP Opponent appeared first on …
GOP Candidate Charged in Plot to Frame Opponent
A Missouri House primary race allegedly came with a side of hardball that crossed into felony territory. Federal prosecutors say Republican candidate Thomas Ross schemed for weeks to plant cocaine and Adderall on his primary opponent, Louise Secker, in an attempt to sink her campaign, the Missouri Independent reports. Ross,...
Missouri House candidate plotted to stash cocaine in rival's purse, FBI says
A Republican candidate running for Missouri’s House is facing federal drug charges after he attempted to plant cocaine and Adderall on his primary opponent. Thomas Ross, 37, appeared in court on Thursday on one charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Ross had allegedly asked his campaign manager to place the drugs in his […]
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