A Montgomery County man pleaded no contest Monday to two charges related to distributing methamphetamine in Parsons. He may face nine years in prison at sentencing, scheduled for Halloween.
Terry W. Richardson, 46, faced two cases in Labette County District Court. In one case, he was accused of two counts of distribution of meth and one count of using a phone to arrange the sale, all felonies. The second case alleged distribution of meth, using a phone to arrange the sale, both felonies, and a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Richardson pleaded no contest Monday to an amended complaint on Monday alleging drug distribution on Dec. 8, 2017, and Feb. 2, 2018. The amended counts are high-level drug charges that require a prison term. The other pending case was dismissed as part of the plea. A state motion to revoke Richardson’s bond was not heard on Monday. Richardson picked up two new cases in Montgomery County for meth possession.
Kansas Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Josh Nelson testified at a preliminary hearing for Richardson in January 2020. Nelson testified that he worked with Labette County detectives in the undercover operation. He first tried to arrange a purchase at the Tri-City Airport west of Parsons through a confidential informant on Nov. 29, 2017, but Richardson opted to meet in Montgomery County at the highway rest stop near U.S. 400 and U.S. 169. That event was not charged because it occurred outside of Labette County.
The first drug transaction in Labette County took place on Dec. 8, 2017, in the Walmart parking lot in Parsons. The transaction was arranged via text messages between the informant and Richardson, Nelson testified. Richardson met with the informant who asked an undercover KBI agent to Richardson’s vehicle and introduced the two. The agent received the crystalline substance from Richardson.
Nelson did not see the hand-to-hand transaction during which Richardson provided the KBI with 7 grams of meth for $400.
On Feb. 2, 2018, Nelson testified that a transaction was arranged between the undercover KBI agent and Richardson. During this transaction in the Walmart parking lot the undercover agent received 19.90 grams of meth, less than an ounce, from Richardson. The original request was for 14 grams but that amount increased to 20 grams through discussion.
The undercover agent and Nelson communicated via text to set up another purchase on May 23, 2018. The agent wanted to buy an ounce of meth from Richardson at the Walmart parking lot and told Richardson he had $2,700 to spend.
Nelson testified that the plan was to arrest Richardson en route to the purchase site. Surveillance vehicles watched for Richardson and found his vehicle on U.S. 400 in Labette County and conducted a traffic stop. Nelson said the probable cause for the stop was the information that led officers to believe that Richardson would be transporting drugs.
A search of the vehicle revealed an ounce of meth and less than two grams of suspected hallucinogenic mushrooms.
During an interview after his arrest, Richardson told Nelson and a sheriff’s detective that he sold meth to pay bills. The informant used early on in the Richardson case died in November 2018. She was not used in other undercover drug purchases after Richardson, Nelson testified.
At Monday’s plea, Richardson’s attorney Shane Adamson said his client faces a minimum of 111 months, or just over nine years, in prison based on his criminal record. The plea requests that the two drug counts run concurrently. Adamson said he will be able to argue for a shorter sentence and County Attorney Mandy Johnson can argue against it at sentencing.
Adamson asked for sentencing to be delayed about eight weeks to give his client time to move equipment for his mechanic shop into storage.
Sentencing will be Oct. 31. Richardson will have to register as a drug offender under the Kansas Offender Registration Act because of the Labette County convictions.
Any prison time in Labette County will be consecutive, or back to back, to any other prison terms issued.
Richardson faces two new cases in Montgomery County, both alleging meth possession. He also faces probation revocation for three 2019 cases alleging possession of meth and attempted violation of KORA.
He will return to court on Sept. 13 in Montgomery County in these cases.
