Warrants on drug charges issued for father, son

Arrest warrants have been issued for Thomas L. Coke, 52, of Malta Bend, and his son, Kelly T. Coke, 24, of Marshall, in connection with a traffic stop Saturday, July 4, in Marshall.

The two men were spotted by a Marshall police officer, who ran a license plate check on the Ford van they were driving, which showed the registration belonged to a different vehicle.

According to the incident report, Kelly Coke, the driver of the van, was known by the officer to have had his driver's license revoked. Coke continued to drive for several blocks after emergency lights on the patrol car were activated, but eventually stopped on Ellsworth Avenue.

As both occupants exited the van after the stop, the driver was immediately arrested for driving on a revoked license.

The report indicates officers who arrived on the scene to assist in the vehicle stop then observed Thomas Coke kicking small plastic bags under the passenger side of the van, the contents of which later tested positive as marijuana. A subsequent search of the vehicle and both men revealed the presence of 24.6 grams of marijuana, $650 in cash and five tablets of Vicodin.

Thomas Coke, who has previous convictions for forgery and felony driving while revoked, is charged with class C felony possession of marijuana. He could serve up to seven years in Missouri Department of Corrections, or up to one year in county jail, and/or up to a $5,000 fine if convicted.

Kelly Coke, who has previous convictions for resisting arrest, possession/manufacture/sale of illegal weapons, possession of a controlled substance, driving while revoked and driving while intoxicated, was charged with class A misdemeanor possession of marijuana, class A misdemeanor resisting/interfering with arrest and class A misdemeanor operating a motor vehicle while driver's license is revoked. If convicted, he could serve one year in county jail and/or pay a fine of up to $1,000 on each of the three charges.

Charges contained in reports provided by law enforcement officials are not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting charges must be presented before a jury, whose duty is to determine if the accused is guilty or not guilty of the charges.

Contact Kathy Fairchild at marshallhealth@socket.net