Newly available probable cause statements in two Macon drug cases show that the defendants were arrested in a single July 24 search of a home they shared, and they include an account of one defendant’s drug testing that conflicts with a later court docket entry.
The statements, written by Sgt. Mercedes Deskin of the Macon Police Department, were not accessible through Missouri Case.net when the charges were filed last week. They became available this week.
According to the statements, officers executed a search warrant at a home in the 300 block of Duff Street about 6:40 p.m. July 24, while Deskin was assisting another agency with an investigation.
In the case against John F. O’Haver, Deskin wrote that O’Haver said he held a state marijuana cultivation license, but that a check of the Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System and a call to the Department of Health and Senior Services showed he had no valid license, and that he later said his license had expired. The statement says officers found three larger potted marijuana plants and six smaller plants in the basement, with the plants weighing a total of about 99.7 grams.
Court records give conflicting accounts of O’Haver’s drug testing. Deskin’s statement, dated July 24, says O’Haver provided a urine sample after his arrest. But at O’Haver’s July 27 bond hearing, the court denied his request to lower his bond, citing his probation status and a refusal to provide a urine sample at the time of his arrest, according to the docket. The public records do not explain the discrepancy.
In the case against Brittany Allison Black, Deskin wrote that officers found glass jars and pipes with crystal-like residue, a homemade smoking device and three digital scales in an upstairs bedroom that O’Haver identified as shared by him and Black. The items field-tested positive for methamphetamine, and one pipe held a weighable amount of about 0.2 grams, the statement says. After being advised of her rights, Black said the items in the bedroom were hers, according to the statement.
O’Haver is charged with manufacturing a controlled substance, a class E felony. Black is charged with possession of a controlled substance, a class D felony, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, a class D misdemeanor. Each was ordered to have no contact with the other; bond was set at $10,000 cash-only for O’Haver and $15,000 cash-only for Black.
Charges are allegations; both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.