Decision on Osage Beach alderman’s bond to be decided July 22
CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A decision on a bond motion for an Osage Beach alderman will decided next week, a Camden County judge decided on Tuesday.
Osage Beach Ward 1 Alderman John Robert “Bob” O’Steen, 60, was charged in May with delivery of a controlled substance, two counts of drug possession and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. He posted a $250,000 bond on May 13 after he was arrested for allegedly buying drugs from an undercover officer.
Prosecutor Richelle Grosvenor filed a motion on Monday to revoke O'Steen's bond, claiming that he violated the conditions of his bond after a urinalysis on June 29 determined that O’Steen tested positive for benzoylecgonine, which is a metabolite of cocaine.
Camden County Judge Heather Miller stated the bond decision will be heard at a Wednesday, July 22 hearing. The case was also bound over to the circuit court on Tuesday.
O’Steen’s attorney, Travis Noble, denied the claims in a message to ABC 17 News on Monday.
“We deny any drug use and are complying with all conditions of bond,” the message reads.
Court documents in previous reporting say O’Steen tried to buy two “8-balls” of cocaine for $500 from an undercover law enforcement officer on Tuesday. Law enforcement served a warrant at O’Steen’s residence and found drugs and nine guns, the statement says.
O'Steen's defense argued in the courtroom that his charge of distributing a controlled substance should be dismissed. Still, after hearing the testimony of two witnesses, the judge decided that all charges against O'Steen would stand.
One of the witnesses on the stand was the undercover officer that O'Steen allegedly bought cocaine from. In the testimony, the undercover officer said that the sale happened inside the officer's car. The undercover officer and O'Steen were in the car for about 20 minutes, said the witness and O'Steen told him that he would hand out cocaine to his friends and people he liked at parties held at his home.
According to a second witness who was a member of the Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force, O'Steen's phone was searched. The witness testified that there were text messages and pictures confirming that O'Steen would hand out drugs to other people.
After hearing these testimonies, the judge decided that all the charges against O'Steen would stand.
