Missouri GOP candidate charged with plotting to plant cocaine on primary rival
Republican Thomas Ross was arrested after prosecutors accused him of conspiring with his former campaign manager to plant cocaine and Adderall in opponent Louise Secker's car or purse. Ross faces a federal charge of conspiring to distribute a controlled substance.
A Republican primary race for the Missouri House has been thrown into turmoil after candidate Thomas Ross was arrested Wednesday on accusations he tried to frame his opponent, Louise Secker, for drug possession.
According to court documents, Ross in June gave his former campaign manager, identified only by the initials "CS," a bag of cocaine and Adderall, with the plan being for the aide to hide the drugs in Secker's purse or vehicle. On 21 June, Ross texted asking for a progress update, using the word "substance" as a coded reference to the narcotics, authorities say. The former manager replied that he had tried to access Secker's car at both a car show and a campaign forum but had been unsuccessful, noting the vehicle had been locked.
The Joplin police department notified the FBI on 30 July about a possible public corruption case, though it remains unclear how police first learned of the alleged plot. The following day, federal agents equipped the former manager with a hidden recording device, which captured a conversation with Ross. In the recording, the aide offered to phone in an anonymous tip claiming drugs were in Secker's car, and Ross responded affirmatively, telling him to go ahead if he could.
Ross has since been charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. It remains unclear whether his former campaign manager will face charges as well. Secker could not be reached for comment.
Ross narrowly defeated Secker in the August Republican primary for House District 161 by just 33 votes. The district covers Joplin, a city roughly 70 miles west of Springfield. The seat's current holder, Republican Lane Roberts, is not seeking reelection.
Missouri Republican Party chair Peter Kinder called on Ross to withdraw from the race, describing the circumstances of the arrest as serious and troubling, and saying voters in the 161st District deserve a nominee able to focus fully on earning their trust.
