East Prairie man arrested after deputies find illegal 'bath salts'

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- A preliminary hearing is scheduled for an East Prairie man accused of dealing synthetic drugs.

Samuel Q. Gore, 28, of East Prairie, Mo., is scheduled to return to court at 10 a.m. Sept. 25 before Associate Judge T. Lynn Brown on charges of felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute; second-degree felony domestic assault; and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to Mississippi County Sheriff Keith Moore, Gore was arrested after an investigation that began as a domestic disturbance call.

On Sept. 1, deputies were dispatched to a home on County Road 525 near East Prairie. The deputies learned an assault had taken place between Gore and a family member, Moore said. Witnesses said Gore was inside the house, so deputies requested and were granted consent to search the residence, he said.

During the search, a deputy found an open safe that contained illegal drugs, as well as items used for the packaging and distribution of controlled substances, Moore said in the news release.

Among items found were a large bag of bath salts, five smaller baggies that also contained bath salts, a digital scale and a pipe used to ingest illegal drugs, he said.

Moore said the synthetic drugs are called "bath salts" because they closely resemble legal bathing products. However, he said, when ingested they cause effects similar to that of using meth and/or cocaine.

Gore was in the Mississippi County Detention Center with bond set at $50,000.

Pertinent address:

County Road 525, East Prairie, Mo.