Man charged with selling drugs near school property

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston man was arrested Friday on drug charges.

Alex L. Burton, 19, of Sikeston, was charged Friday with three felony counts of distributing a controlled substance near a school, felony distribution of marijuana and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

If convicted, Burton faces at least 10 years in prison.

The arrest was part of an ongoing undercover drug investigation by the Scott County Sheriff's Department.

"We had an undercover officer who made a buy from him at a school," Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said.

Burton was charged with selling on or near school property Jan. 6, Feb. 14 and Feb. 19, according to court records.

Distribution of a controlled substance near a school is an automatic class A felony in Missouri.

Burton's bond was set at $100,000.