A Florida man faces four felony charges and one misdemeanor after his attempt to bribe multiple Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers in Platte County, according to court documents.
Stephen Medley
Stephen Medley, 29, of Tallahassee, Fla., has been charged with three felony counts related to drug possession, one felony count of unlawful use of a weapon, one felony count of bribery of a public servant and a misdemeanor count of driving with vision-reducing material on a vehicle.
On Friday, Aug. 26, a trooper noticed a vehicle driving southbound on Interstate 29 in northern Platte County with non-translucent windows, according to a probable cause statement. The trooper activated his emergency lights, but the vehicle continued into the rest stop parking area between Dearborn and Camden Point and continued driving nearly the entire length of the parking lot, until finally coming to a stop.
The behavior led the trooper to approach the vehicle, encountering the driver and sole occupant of the car.
While speaking to the driver, later identified as Medley, the trooper noticed a sealed bag of marijuana on the passenger side floorboard, partially covered up by clothing. Medley did not provide identification and denied being armed with a weapon, even providing a false name to the trooper.
Medley also refused consent to search of the vehicle, according to the report.
During his probable cause search of the vehicle, the trooper found two pounds of marijuana, 21 Xanax pills, one ounce of cocaine and a loaded 40-caliber handgun, according to the report. Further investigation revealed a black air pistol under the driver’s seat and equipment Medley said was for “compressing cocaine into cylinders,” according to court documents.
The trooper found $2,092.63 in US currency in Medley’s pocket.
Medley eventually offered this money to the original trooper, a second trooper and a patrol corporal who had arrived on scene, according to the report, asking them “to take all his money and just let him walk away.” Medley is a prior convicted felon involving weapons possession and also has an active felony warrant in Florida for cocaine possession, according to the report.
Medley awaits his trial in the Platte County Detention Center in lieu of a $100,000 cash-only bond. The drug charges against him include two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a charge which carries a potential punishment of up to 15 years in prison.