A man was arrested after Pettis County Sheriff’s Office deputies and the Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force executed a narcotics search warrant in the 500 block of West Third Street on Tuesday, just across the street from Sacred Heart School.
Aaron R. Dove, 27, of the residence, was arrested Tuesday night for multiple drug offenses. Formal charges were not available at press time.
“Drug investigations typically stem from previous contacts where we learn about other sources,” Pettis County Sheriff Brad Anders explained. “Oftentimes, when arrested, they may disclose information that leads us down the road. We may already know that information from investigation, from observation or surveillance, or any other investigative means that we have at our disposal, but Mr. Dove came to our interest about five months ago and we have pursued this since.”
The drug house is located just across the street from Sacred Heart School, so to keep the school children out of harm's way, the search warrant was executed after school was out at 4:35 p.m. Tuesday.
“When my deputies made entry, he attempted to flee through a window and he was taken into custody in his room,” Anders said. “Anytime that you have controlled substances, not only delivered but used within proximity to a school, it's a concern for law enforcement for the safety of the children that attend that school.”
Officers located numerous used and new syringes, heroin, suspected fentanyl, and other assorted drug paraphernalia.
“Most of the items seized, not all, most of the items came from his room,” Anders said. “Scales, multiple new empty baggies, those things indicate, not always definitively, but indicate delivery. The suspected heroin, obviously before we go to trial, we wait on results to come back. We have presumptive tests that we use on substances to help identify them and we also use the suspect’s admissions or claims as to what the drug may be. The concern obviously is the proximity to Sacred Heart School. You could throw a rock and hit the school.”
Being within 2,000 feet of a school severely raises the sentences Dove may face. Missouri drug laws classify distribution as a Class B felony (except for 5 grams or less of marijuana), punishable by imprisonment of up to 15 years. Distribution of the controlled substance within 2,000 feet of a school is a Class A felony (except for 5 grams or less of marijuana), punishable by life imprisonment or a sentence of up to 30 years.
Dove was arrested on scene and transported to the Pettis County Jail, where he is being held pending the filing of formal charges. Pettis County Prosecutor Phillip Sawyer received warrant applications for two counts of possession of a controlled substance and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance.
With a handcuffed detainee being chased through the neighborhood Monday, a man hiding from police in a Fourth Street alley Wednesday bleeding from a severely cut arm from a confrontation involving an ex parte order Tuesday, then this distribution drug bust Tuesday evening, it seems like criminals and cops have been more active in the area this week.
With more criminal activity occurring near Sedalia schools, lockdowns and increased law enforcement presence are becoming more a part of everyday school activities. Anders said school security is very important to him.
“We train with the Sacred Heart annually on school security, I do personally,” Anders said. “I've been doing their school security and active shooter training for the last maybe three or four years. It's something that all staff are required to attend, their substitutes attend. We go through soft lockdown protocols, hard lockdown protocols and what the response from local law enforcement may be.”
