Missouri GOP candidate charged for plotting to plant drugs on primary rival
Thomas Christopher Ross, who won Missouri's House District 161 primary, faces a federal charge after allegedly trying to plant cocaine and Adderall in a rival's car.
Missouri Republican charged with drug-planting plot against primary opponent
A Republican candidate who won his Missouri State House primary last month has been hit with a federal charge after allegedly orchestrating a scheme to plant cocaine and Adderall in the car of his primary opponent, Google News MT — Crime (en) reports, citing federal prosecutors.
Thomas Christopher Ross, 37, who secured the Republican nomination for Missouri House District 161 in Joplin, was charged Wednesday with conspiring to distribute a controlled substance. Authorities allege he instructed his own campaign manager to plant the drugs on Louise Secker, who faced Ross in the primary contest.
Campaign manager turned informant
According to the criminal complaint released Thursday, Ross's campaign manager contacted police in July after the candidate allegedly handed him the drugs and directed him to place them on Secker. The campaign manager brought a bag of cocaine and a single Adderall pill to law enforcement, both of which tested positive as real controlled substances.
The complaint noted that Ross was believed to hold a prescription for Adderall, which investigators said was the likely source of the pill.
The campaign manager also provided law enforcement with alleged text messages between himself and Ross in which the plot was discussed, with references dating as far back as May. One message attributed to Ross, dated 31 May, read: "I was hoping we could make it happen before THIS Thursday...which would be extreme egg on the face given Thursdays nights event [sic]."
FBI covert recording
Police brought in the FBI to assist with the investigation. The bureau equipped the campaign manager with a covert recorder, which was used on 31 July to document a face-to-face meeting between him and Ross.
During that meeting, the campaign manager told Ross he still had the drugs in his possession and asked whether the candidate still wanted him to attempt planting them on Secker. Ross allegedly agreed, adding that the campaign manager could "call in an anonymous tip that Secker had drugs in her car."
"[I]f you can pull it off...pull it off," Ross allegedly said, according to the criminal complaint.
Victory by 33 votes
Ross defeated Secker in the Republican primary just four days after the recorded meeting, winning by a margin of only 33 votes. He was set to face Democratic candidate Aaron Metzger in the November general election.
Following his primary win, Ross posted on social media: "Thank you again for your faith, your support, and your vote. I am truly grateful, and I will work every day to be a representative you can be proud of."
Ross, described in court documents as a married father of two, was held at Joplin Municipal Jail following his arrest. He has not yet entered a plea. A preliminary hearing and detention hearing are scheduled for 9 September, according to court records. His public defender did not immediately return requests for comment, and his campaign also did not respond.
Party calls for withdrawal
Missouri Republican Party Chairman Peter Kinder issued a statement Wednesday calling on Ross to drop out of the race. "The people of Southwest Missouri deserve nothing less than leadership they can trust," Kinder said.
An attorney representing Secker declined to comment on the investigation, according to a statement sent to ABC News.
Democratic candidate Metzger described the news as "disappointing" in a statement issued Friday. "It looks like the same kind of behavior a lot of us see in our politicians all around the country. It's also one of the reasons I decided to run, because like many others I am tired of seeing this behavior from our elected officials," Metzger said.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)