Pettis County Man Arrested in Connection With Meth Lab

On Sunday, Aug. 25, the Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force stopped a vehicle of a suspected drug trafficker, Joseph Tessmer, of Pettis County, in Osage County.

Tessmer was arrested while in possession of over five ounces of methamphetamine that was headed to Pettis.

On Wednesday Aug. 28, detectives with the drug task force and deputies with the Pettis County Sheriff’s Office conducted a follow up at a quarry north of Sedalia, where Tessmer was known to stay.

During the course of the investigation, a methamphetamine lab along with several firearms were located. The lab was dismantled and made safe by detectives certified in clandestine labs.

An interview of Tessmer led to a confession of manufacturing methamphetamine as well as to ownership of the firearms. Charges will be forwarded to the Pettis County Prosecutor for Manufacturing as well as several firearm violations as Tessmer is disqualified from possessing firearms.

“Methamphetamine labs have been significantly reduced after the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act in 2005, which moved pseudoephedrine from the shelves and limited the quantity purchased by individuals.

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“What you are looking at here is a one pot, or shake and bake, lab in which smaller quantities of dextro isomer of methamphetamine, which is somewhat different than the combination of dextro and levo methamphetamine we typically see throughout not only Pettis County, but the whole country. These labs are dangerous and have a strong correlation with explosions, fires, and injury/death as they involve low levels of combustion within a flammable liquid contained in, typically, plastic bottles.

“We are very lucky to have one of the few sworn personnel trained to dismantle these labs,” commented Pettis County Sheriff Brad Anders.