Bloomfield couple arrested on suspicion of receiving marijuana in mail

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Bloomfield couple is to appear in court Thursday after being charged in connection with the delivery of two packages from Texas containing 13 pounds of suspected marijuana.

Roy S. Johnson, 43, and Tammy M. Johnson, 45, were charged Saturday with the Class B felony of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, the Class C felony of possession of a controlled substance and the Class A misdemeanor of possession of drug paraphernalia by Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Briney Welborn.

The Johnsons, who are being held in the Stoddard County Jail on $125,000 cash bonds, are to be arraigned Thursday on the charges by Associate Circuit Judge Joe Satterfield.

The charges stem from information provided to the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department by a U.S. postal inspector in Kansas City about two suspicious packages being mailed to a residence in rural Bloomfield.

The postal inspector indicated on May 21 a package, weighing 6 pounds, with what was described as a fictitious return address from McAllen, Texas, was delivered to a rural Bloomfield residence, Sheriff Carl Hefner reported in a news release.

"The postal inspector also stated that a second package, weighing 13 pounds, had been mailed from the same address in McAllen, Texas, and going to the same address in rural Bloomfield," Hefner said.

Deputies, Hefner said, set up surveillance on the residence, where the package was delivered on Friday.

"On searching the residence, deputies found the package that had been delivered that day and discovered that the package contained approximately 10 pounds of processed marijuana," Hefner said.

The package was found after Tammy Johnson granted officers permission to search a shed on her property, which was located in the 19600 block of Bo Geary Circle, according to Deputy Keith Haynes' probable cause affidavit.

Court documents indicate Haynes had asked Tammy Johnson if she had received a package in the mail that day.

"She stated she did, and that it was in a shed directly behind the residence," Haynes said. "She opened the unlocked shed and showed it to me."

When Tammy Johnson was asked to get the package, "she said 'Take it,'" said Haynes, who opened the package in Tammy Johnson's presence.

Inside, Haynes said, he found two packages of suspected marijuana.

"The packages were soaked in axle grease, which I know, based upon training and experience, (is) used to avoid the detection of marijuana by drug dogs," Haynes explained.

The total weight, Haynes said, was about 13 pounds.

After finding the suspected marijuana, Haynes said, he told Tammy Johnson of her rights and asked for permission to search her residence.

Tammy Johnson refused to give officers permission as did Roy Johnson, said Haynes, who subsequently applied for a search warrant.

When officers searched the Johnsons' residence, a small amount of suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia were found, Haynes said.

Pertinent address:

Bloomfield, MO