Former Carter County sheriff posts bond for federal weapons charges

Former Carter County sheriff Tommy Adams is free on bond after making his first appearance in federal court Wednesday and pleading not guilty to illegally possessing and selling firearms.

Adams, 31, of Ellsinore, Mo., turned himself in Wednesday morning to the U.S. Marshals Service in Cape Girardeau.

Adams and former deputy Steffanie Marie Kearbey were indicted recently by a federal grand jury.

Adams, who faces three counts of possession of stolen firearms, one count of sale of a stolen firearm and one count of being an unlawful user of controlled substances in possession of firearms, subsequently made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lewis Blanton, according to a clerk with the U.S. District

Court.

During the appearance, the clerk said, Blanton also arraigned Adams, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, and ordered him appear at 10:15 a.m. Sept. 14 for a pretrial motions and evidentiary hearing.

After appearing, the clerk said, Adams was released on a $25,000 unsecured bond.

Kearbey, who faces two counts of possession of stolen firearms, one count of sale of a stolen firearm and one count of being an unlawful user of controlled substances in possession of firearms, was released on bond Tuesday for her initial appearance and arraignment.

Blanton ordered the 23-year-old Ellsinore woman to appear at 10 a.m. Sept. 14 for a pretrial motions hearing in her

case.

If convicted, Adams and Kearbey face a maximum term of 10 years imprisonment and/or a maximum fine of $250,000 on each count, followed by a maximum three-year term of supervised release.

The former officers were arrested in April as part of an investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol into suspected illegal activities involving Adams, who resigned as sheriff on the day of his arrest.

In addition to his federal charges, Adams also faces charges in Carter County, where he is to appear at 9 a.m. Sept. 26 before Presiding Circuit Judge David Evans for arraignment.

Adams is charged with two felonies of distribution of a controlled substance (methamphetamine and cocaine) and the felony of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute (methamphetamine).

He is accused of distributing meth and cocaine to a confidential informant and possessing five bags of a white powder substance, which field tested positive as methamphetamine and were found in his personal truck.

Pertinent address:

Ellsinore, MO

555 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO