St. Louis Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Meth, Illegal Firearm

A 40-year old St. Louis man who was found passed out at a truck stop in Oak Grove after a week-long bender was recently sentenced in federal court for Possession of Methamphetamine and Illegal Possession of a Firearm.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says on Feb. 6, James P. Pettus was sentenced to 14 years and two months in federal prison without parole.

In September 2018, Pettus reportedly pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Pettus was contacted by an Oak Grove, MO police officer at Petro Truck Stop, located at 301 S.W. 1st Street, on the morning of May 21, 2018. The officer was called because Pettus was passed out in a booth inside the Iron Skillet Restaurant. According to the report, he was asleep and snoring, with his face and arms covered in saliva and snot. After several attempts to wake him, he would only advise that his name was James, and could not provide identification.

The officer called an ambulance for Pettus. While waiting for the ambulance, Pettus reportedly pulled a knife from his right rear pant pocket and flipped it open. The officer struggled briefly with Pettus to take the knife away and handcuff him.

The officer then found a loaded High Point .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun in Pettus’s front waistband. Officers also found approximately 40.9 grams of pure methamphetamine in Pettus’s left front pocket.

Pettus later told detectives he had been on a methamphetamine-fueled bender for the past week.