Perryville woman arrested on drug-distribution charges

PERRYVILLE, Mo., -- A 24-year-old Perryville woman has been arrested on charges of selling 10 Valium pills to a police informant in June while caring for two children, including one in a stroller.

Joanna N. Cummings was arrested Monday on an outstanding warrant for felony drug distribution, according to a news release from the Perry County Sheriff's Department. Cummings' arrest stems from an ongoing undercover drug operation by the department, the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Cummings was brought to Perry County from Poplar Bluff, Mo., where she was taken into custody. She was being held Thursday on a $10,000 cash-only bond. Online court documents show she has yet to hire a lawyer and that a court date has not been set.

According to a probable-cause statement filed by the patrol's Sgt. J.L. Heath, Cummings sold the anti-anxiety pills to a confidential informant for $30 on June 29 at a museum near Altenburg, Mo.

Cummings was walking on the sidewalk by the museum pushing a stroller with a small child inside and walking with another child, the statement says. The statement does not make clear if the children were Cummings'.

Heath, in his report, said he witnessed the transaction.

Pertinent address:

15 West Sainte Marie St., Perryville, MO