Drug charges
Drug charges in Springfield, MO
Most drug cases turn on the search and on who possessed what. The weight decides the class.
The answer
What is this charge?
The substance, what the police say happened and the amount: three taps, and the page names the charge and its class.
How Missouri charges it
Possession of a controlled substance
- Class
- Class D felony
- Range
- Up to 7 years
- Fine
- Up to $10,000
- What the state must prove is possession with knowledge, and for delivery, the intent. The amount, the packaging and the search are where these cases are decided.
General information about Missouri law. It is no substitute for advice about your own case. Sources: § 579.015, § 558.011, § 558.002.
What Ted handles
Drug cases Ted handles
- Possession
- Possession with intent to deliver
- Delivery and distribution
- Trafficking, first and second degree
- Marijuana over the legal amount
- Paraphernalia
How it moves
Two clocks, side by side
What the case is doing and what you or your license are doing at the same moment. Tap a step.
- 1
Day 0
Arrest or summons
The case: Booking, then bond set by schedule or by a judge, or a summons with a court date.
What you do: Say nothing about the case. Keep every paper you are handed. Call.
- 2
Days 1 to 3
Release and conditions
The case: Bond conditions can include no contact, no alcohol, monitoring.
What you do: Keep every condition. A violation becomes its own problem.
- 3
Weeks later
First appearance
The case: The charge is read. A felony then moves toward a preliminary hearing or a grand jury.
What you do: Show up, with Ted. Nothing is decided that day.
- 4
Months
Discovery and motions
The case: Reports, video, lab results and witness statements come in. Problems become motions.
What you do: Write down what you remember, for Ted only. Do not talk to anyone involved.
- 5
The end of the case
Resolution
The case: A dismissal, a plea to something smaller, or trial.
What you do: You make the final call. Ted tells you what each path means for your record.
Drug charges: common questions
Is possession of meth a felony in Missouri?
Yes. Possession of any controlled substance other than small amounts of marijuana is a class D felony, with up to seven years and a fine of up to $10,000.
Source: RSMo 579.015, 558.011 and 558.002
What turns possession into delivery?
The delivery statute covers possession with intent to deliver, so scales, packaging, texts and cash can turn a class D possession case into a class C delivery case without any sale. Whether the amount fits personal use is the argument.
Source: RSMo 579.020
How much makes it trafficking?
Weight, by substance. More than 30 grams of methamphetamine or heroin, or more than 3 milligrams of fentanyl, makes possession second-degree trafficking, a class C felony, and delivery first-degree trafficking, a class B felony. Larger amounts raise the class again.
Source: RSMo 579.065 and 579.068
Can the search be challenged?
Most drug cases start with a stop or a search. If the stop lacked a lawful reason, consent was never really given, or the search went past what a warrant allowed, what was found can be kept out. That is the first thing Ted reads for.
The law this page cites
Read at its source on 2026-10-29.
Charged with a drug crime? Talk to Ted.
What happens next
Ted calls you back
Ted or his paralegal will call you back at the number you give. Have your paperwork near the phone if you can.
You talk through what happened
What you were charged with, where, and what the paperwork says. Ted tells you what the charge means and what comes first.
You decide
If it makes sense to work together, Ted explains the fee and what he does next. If not, you still leave knowing where you stand.
Rather talk than type? Call, and the office sets a time.