MCSD makes weapons, drug arrests
It was a busy week for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, with four people from Missouri arrested in separate incidents.
During a Monday traffic stop on Route 3 near GG Road in Waterloo, deputies located ammunition and a Ruger .380 handgun next to the driver and a loaded .45 caliber handgun in the coat pocket of a passenger and later learned the men were both convicted felons.
Charged in the incident were Rodney G. Gemmell, 51, of High Ridge, Mo., and Anthony Gant, 61, of St. Louis, both with unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.
Also on Monday, a deputy conducting a motorist assist call on Route 3 on the ramp to I-255 in Columbia made a drug arrest.
The vehicle was stalled on the shoulder of the roadway when the deputy stopped to assist. Probable cause was developed to search the vehicle, police said, and methamphetamine was located inside.
Charged in this incident was Christopher J. Bridwell, 29, of High Ridge, Mo., with meth possession.
On Tuesday, a traffic stop on North Market Street at Pautler Place in Waterloo resulted in another drug arrest.
The vehicle was observed to have made traffic violations, prompting the stop.
As the driver was attempting to hand the deputy her driver’s license, a clear zip-lock bag containing a controlled substance in her wallet was observed.
Charged in this incident was Patricia A. Luedde, 38, of St. Louis, with unlawful possession of a controlled substance (alprazolam).
The MCSD said it strongly encourages every citizen to contact police about drug houses or suspicious activities.Calls can be made anonymously to the Crime Free Tip Line at 618-939-8477 (TIPS).