Missouri House candidate charged with conspiracy to plant drugs on rival
A Missouri House candidate appeared in federal court on a conspiracy charge after allegedly attempting to plant cocaine and Adderall on his primary opponent.
A Missouri House candidate made his first appearance in federal court Thursday on a charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Prosecutors allege that Thomas Ross, 37, of Joplin, asked a campaign manager to place a small amount of cocaine and a prescription amphetamine pill in the purse or vehicle of his Republican primary opponent, Louise Secker, in the weeks before the Aug. 4 primary. Ross narrowly defeated Secker by a few dozen votes.
According to a probable-cause statement signed by an FBI agent, a former campaign manager testified that Ross gave him a black nylon glove containing a plastic bag of white powder and a pink-and-white capsule, instructing him to plant the items while Ross was out of state. Laboratory tests later identified the substances as cocaine and Adderall.
The FBI obtained text messages in which Ross expressed a desire to “make it happen” before Secker attended a Republican women’s meeting in June, describing the potential fallout as an “extreme egg on the face.”
"Candidates are expected to conduct their campaigns with integrity, honesty, and respect for their opponents," U.S. Attorney R. Matthew Price said in a statement.
Missouri Republican Party chairman Peter Kinder called on Ross to withdraw from the race, calling the circumstances of his arrest serious and deeply troubling. Ross has not commented on the charge, and his federal public defender has not indicated how he plans to plead.