Three arrested on drug charges in Advance

ADVANCE, Mo. -- A traffic stop Thursday led to the arrest of three men, each charged with possessing precursors to the manufacture of meth.

A clerk at the Advance Dollar General Store notified Advance Police Chief Donnie Bonsack that a man had been in the store buying a number of items commonly used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, including lithium batteries and a cold pack, according to Stoddard County Sheriff Carl Hefner.

Bonsack followed the suspect's vehicle in Advance while awaiting assistance from Stoddard County Deputy Keith Haynes, who is also a SEMO Drug Task Force agent.

The driver of the vehicle, John Moon, 41, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., consented to a search of the vehicle. In addition to the suspect items that had been described by the store clerk, Haynes located a black bag containing a syringe and a spoon with visible residue.

A passenger in the vehicle, Jesse Wayne Wessel, 23, of Poplar Bluff, reportedly admitted on the scene that he purchased a box of pseudoephedrine pills -- another common ingredient in the manufacture of meth -- at a Chaffee, Mo., store before being stopped by the Bonsack.

A third person in the vehicle, Jerry Lee Burgener, 26, of Dexter, Mo., reportedly told Haynes that the spoon and needle belonged to him. Both Burgener and Wessel told police they obtained meth from Moon.

Moon is charged with possession of chemicals with intent to manufacture and his being held on $75,000 cash-only bond. Burgener is charged with possession of a controlled substance and his being held on $35,000 cash-only bond. Wessel is charged with possession of chemicals with intent to manufacture and is being held on $75,000 cash-only bond.

All three suspects remain in the Stoddard County Jail.

Pertinent address:

Advance, Mo.