State GOP candidate allegedly tried to plant drugs on primary opponent: Investigators
A GOP candidate for a Missouri State House seat was hit with a federal charge after he allegedly tried to plant drugs on his primary opponent, federal prosecutors said.
Federal prosecutors have accused Thomas Christopher Ross, a Republican candidate for a Missouri State House seat, of attempting to plant drugs on his primary opponent. Ross, who won the Republican primary for Missouri House District 161 in Joplin, has been charged with conspiring to distribute a controlled substance. According to the criminal complaint, Ross's campaign manager contacted the police in July after allegedly receiving drugs from Ross and being instructed to plant them in the car of Louise Secker, his primary opponent.
The campaign manager handed over a bag of cocaine and an Adderall pill to the police, who confirmed their authenticity through testing. The campaign manager also provided text messages between Ross and himself discussing the plot, with references dating back to May. On July 31, a meeting between Ross and the campaign manager was recorded by the FBI.
During this meeting, Ross allegedly agreed to attempt to plant the drugs if the campaign manager could still obtain them. Ross won the primary by a narrow margin of 33 votes and was set to face off against Democratic candidate Aaron Metzger in the general election. Ross was subsequently arrested and held at Joplin Municipal Jail.
Missouri Republican Party Chairman Peter Kinder denounced Ross and urged him to withdraw from the race.
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