A Gainesville man, 48-year-old Eric Morgan, has been charged with possession of methamphetamine and unlawful use of a weapon. Morgan’s arrest followed a man visiting the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department advising his step-son Morgan and Morgan’s daughter had threatened him with an aluminum baseball bat.
The Ozark County Times reports information in a probable cause statement notes the sheriff’s department visitor told officers he was afraid for his life. The man reportedly also told officers Morgan carries a 9 mm pistol in his back pocket and keeps a shotgun in his residence.
When deputies arrived at the Morgan residence, they spotted the 9 mm pistol in his back pocket as the Gainesville man exited his home. Morgan was detained, and the pistol secured. A small container with cotton balls and a white crystal substance was found in Morgan’s pocket, which he allegedly identified as methamphetamine. Morgan gave the officers permission to search his residence where a syringe containing a clear liquid was located, along with multiple smoking devices and a loaded shotgun. The weapon was accessible to an 8-year-old autistic child.
Morgan reportedly told officers he and his daughter, Erica, had been using methamphetamine with the child in the home for two months. In the probable cause statement, Morgan said he used needles, while his daughter prefers to smoke meth. He recalled one specific instance when he was shooting up in the bathroom and his daughter was smoking meth in the bedroom, while the child was lying in the bed coloring.
Morgan was arrested and taken to the Ozark County Jail, where he was booked and originally held on a $25,000 cash-only bond. At the time of his arraignment earlier this month, Morgan’s bond was lowered to its current $10,000 cash-only status.
Erica Morgan reportedly consented to a drug test, the statement says, with positive results for methamphetamine, amphetamine and THC. Child services took custody of the minor. The evidence was sent to the Missouri State Forensic Crime Lab for further testing.
Photo: Ozark County Sheriff’s Department
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