Lincoln County commissioner charged with drug possession
Matthew Bass
Lincoln County commissioner Matthew Bass was charged today with two felony counts of drug possession.
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Detective Shane Duryea said Bass bought prescription painkillers morphine and fentanyl from a dealer about 1 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of a Troy, Mo., business.
A probable cause statement says Bass bought $35 of the pain drugs on the lot of a Casey’s convenience store from a police informer wired with a hidden camera and recorder.
Bass and the informer made the exchange between their vehicles, authorities say.
Bass, 45, was released today from the Lincoln County Jail after posting a $20,000 cash-only bail. He could not be reached for comment.
The informant made a recorded telephone call to Bass to tell him had drugs to sell him, according to the probable cause statement. Bass said he wanted to buy them and they agreed to meet Wednesday.
Duryea said a Troy police officer observed Bass buying the drugs from a man in the lot and followed Bass as he drove away, stopping him on Cherry Street.
The officer seized one capsule of morphine and one patch of fentanyl, Duryea said. Bass told investigators he bought the drugs because he has back pain and surgery scheduled soon.
The state attorney general’s office is handling the case at the request of Lincoln County Prosecutor John Richards to avoid the perception of a conflict of interest, officials said.
Bass, a Republican, was elected to the commission in November 2008 after a three-year term on the Troy Board of Alderman.
In a 2008 Post-Dispatch elections guide, he said he was the owner of the Krumbly Burgers restaurant in Troy.
If convicted, Bass faces up to seven years in prison or up to one year in the county jail and/or a $5,000 fine for each count.
Sean O’Brien, presiding commissioner of the Lincoln County Commission, said the news of Bass’ arrest is “shocking.” He said Bass is a good person who has always had the best interests of the county at heart.
“I feel bad for him and his family,” O’Brien said. “Hopefully, he’ll be able to find the help he needs to deal with his problem.”
O’Brien also said Bass told him recently he had been complaining of back pain and was planning to take three weeks off to recover from surgery set for next month.
(8 votes, average: 3.63 out of 5)
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Lincoln County Missouri was named one of the top 10 Most Corrupt Places in the USA by Human Rights Watch. So this is really no surprise. Obviously he was set up with a wired informant. He must of pissed off the old boy network of old Families up in Troy. He must be blocking some development or something they wanted. Who cares if he needed pain killers for his back and needed back surgery. The only real question is why they are not arresting all the corrupt Circuit Judges who take bribes from the local lawyers on a regular basis and are going after this man for such a ridiculous offense. With US medical care in shambles It is difficult to get the medicine you need even with the best insurance. This guy was a good honest guy and that is why he did not do good in Lincoln County. I know top contractors who will not do business in Lincoln County because they will not pay the necessary bribes. Where are the feds to crack down on the real corruption in Lincoln County.
you play you pay
no different from guy on street getting busted
doesnt his health care cover meds after surgery ??????
this is eft. $35 for morphine/fentanyl is a felony? That’s reeedonkulous. So these backwards cops set up a sting for a $35 drug deal???????
This is what is wrong with America.
Drugs should be legal. Nothing wrong with drugs…
Republicans need them the most!
The world would be a lot better off if everyone was on drugs
Remember that the Lincoln County Sheriff just sued the county commission and commissioners over the budget. Now why on earth would they spend that much time on a $35.00 drug deal? Hmmmm…let me think about that….
Benton Park Dont worry they will get 1000 times that back in fines. Lincoln County Police are nothing more than tax collectors with Guns.
SO tell me farmingtoeat. Where did you get your information? Can you please provide the link that shows the story by Human Rights Watch? Do you know that they are one of the most LIBERAL organizations in the world? How much do you actually know about Lincoln County? How long have you lived here? I look forward to your answers!
It’s really sad to hear of this. I used to know Matt personally when I lived in Troy years ago, and used to frequent Krumbly Burger with my grandmother (who was blind at the time). She loved the food and atmosphere as much as myself. Her eyesight was restored about a year later. We loved to go there and eat, and Matt was such a wonderful person. I lost my grandmother about a year later, and I moved away, but never forgot about the place, and now nice he was. I was not even aware he was in any political-situation, but I have not lived in that area since about ‘93. I still have friends up there that know him, and heard that he was back & pain problems. He was pending surgery, and over a $35 deal with a wired informant..sounds like entrapment. Although I don’t condone what happened, & understand the police stance on it, with such a BROKEN health-care system we have. He probably spent as much as one would for a bag of weed (I don’t know, I don’t do drugs), but I think Lincoln County has bigger fish to catch compared to a $35 “swap”. Tough call. But I will attest, that he is one of the most GENUINE people you would ever meet in Troy. Bad choice, maybe, but it’s not my place to say. I think there is more to the story than we are being told in the media, we just don’t know it yet. In conclusion, I do hope that he gets the surgery that he needs, and that all-things considered, everything works out in the end. I’m sad to hear the news, but hope everything works out for the best in the end.
Matt is a good person who made a mistake. I’ve known him and his family over 23 years. My boys have worked for him. This NEVER should have been handled this way. Hopefully he gets help but there is NO way this man deserves prison. He will remain a friend to me.
As this article is written. This is text book entrapment. Who supplied the drugs? (police or seller)..How did the seller obtain these drugs?
Case has many errors..
I don’t know this man and don’t really have much respect for politicians. That being said, there is no way that he should go to jail. What he did was wrong, but the arrest looks suspicious. If he has heleth problems, he should have seen his doctor. If he does not have health problems, the he needs help and I sure hope he gets it. I just hate it when papers feel the need to expose people. I feel worse for their families than for the perputrator. I hope he gets help.