New details emerge in meth case against Scherrer

A federal judge is considering a pair of motions to suppress evidence in the drug-trafficking case against a Bonne Terre, Missouri, man accused of killing a Cape Girardeau tattoo artist.

Melvin Scherrer faces several felony charges, including first-degree murder, in connection with the death of Samuel "Tick" Francis, 38, whose body was found July 25, 2013, in a septic tank north of Bonne Terre.

Those charges, filed last year in St. Francois County Circuit Court, have been in a holding pattern, however, while a drug trafficking case against Scherrer makes its way through the federal court system.

The discovery of Francis' body came just a day after federal agents executed a search warrant on Scherrer's property.

Documents filed recently in the case reveal some previously unreported details about Scherrer's activities and his connections to other people charged in the Francis case.

Brent Bouren of St. Louis is charged with second-degree murder and several other felonies in connection with Francis' death.

Bouren pleaded guilty in March to federal charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute cocaine. A trial setting in the murder case is scheduled for Sept. 19 in St. Francois County Circuit Court.

Otto Plopper of French Village, Missouri, was charged with felony abandonment of a corpse in connection with the Francis case.

Last month, attorneys for Scherrer filed motions to suppress statements he made to investigators, evidence obtained through a search of his home and electronic information, including intercepted telephone calls and global positioning system data.

In a response filed Aug. 29, federal prosecutors said investigators got some information about the case from a person who had lived with Scherrer on and off before Dec. 17, 2012 -- the last time anyone saw Francis alive.

That source, prosecutors wrote, initially approached investigators about Francis' disappearance, hoping to help them find out what happened to him.

The same source reported seeing Scherrer deliver methamphetamines to Plopper and pick up cash from him, prosecutors wrote.

Online court records show no federal charges have been filed against Plopper.

The court document also indicates FBI agents began investigating drug trafficking by the Saddle Tramps motorcycle club in October 2010, and in July 2011, a source told them Scherrer -- a former club vice-president -- was distributing large amounts of methamphetamine he got from Mexican sources in Texas.

According to the document, investigators began monitoring calls on Bouren's telephone and corroborated the information.

It is not clear whether Francis' death was connected to drug trafficking activities.

St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorney Jerrod Mahurin has said he is ready to proceed with the state's murder case against Scherrer, but he has to wait for federal authorities to approve a writ of habeas corpus so Scherrer can appear in court to answer the charges.

Plopper's case is set for preliminary hearing Tuesday in St. Francois County Circuit Court, online court records show.

epriddy@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

Bonne Terre, MO