LINN — Members of the Mid Missouri Drug Task Force (MMDTF), Osage County Sheriff’s Office, and Linn Police Department worked together to take approximately 161 grams of meth off the street following an arrest in Linn on Sunday.

“Given the significant quantity of methamphetamine (which exceeds the statutory amount of 90 grams),” MMDTF Det. David Neumann (also an Osage County deputy) wrote in his probable cause statement, “I believe Tessmer and Lutjen are engaged in the delivery of the substance as well.”

Joseph J. Tessmer, 46, of Sedalia, was charged on Monday with first-degree drug trafficking (over Statutory Amount) and is being held without bond at the Osage County Detention Center. Randy W. Lutjen, 43, of Gravois Mills, was charged with second-degree drug trafficking with a $75,000 cash or surety bond.

At approximately 9:39 p.m. on Sunday, Neumann conducted a routine traffic stop on Hwy. 50 near 7th Street in Linn. The vehicle, driven by Tessmer, was stopped for displaying registration tags that expired on July 31.

Neumann noted that Tessmer and Lutjen appeared excessively nervous during the initial stop. Linn Police Officer Cody Schmitz arrived to assist.

While Schmitz conducted records checks on both individuals, Neumann deployed K-9 Tina, who alerted to the presence of a controlled substance.

Neumann found approximately 161 grams of a substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia during a subsequent probable cause search of the vehicle. The contraband was discovered in the engine compartment’s air filter box and included a large bag containing approximately 143 grams of methamphetamine, four small baggies totaling about 15 grams, and a small glass vial containing approximately three grams.

Neumann arrested Tessmer and Lutjen and during a subsequent separate interviews at the Osage County Sheriff’s Office. Lutjen claimed to have no knowledge of “the amount of narcotics, the cost, or anything.”

Lutjen added that he worked with Tessmer and admitted to using methamphetamine earlier in the day. “When I asked Lutjen how much of the methamphetamine that he hoped to get from Tessmer, (Lutjen) stated he hoped for at least a ‘bowl.’” Neumann wrote.

He further noted in the PC statement that Tessmer said all of the narcotics were for personal use, and the defendant admitted to using methamphetamine earlier in the day. Tessmer initially led Neumann to believe he had purchased the meth in St. Louis but later changed his story to say he picked it up in Sedalia. Tessmer allegedly told Neumann he’d made two prior trips to purchase large amounts of narcotics.

According to the probable cause statement, Tessmer said he believed he was in possession of about a quarter-pound (112 grams) of methamphetamine, which he had not paid for yet; further, Tessmer did not know how much he owed the person from whom he acquired the drugs. Although Tessmer indicated that he does not sell drugs, the probable cause statement said he stated “of course” when asked if he intended to share some of the methamphetamine with his friends.

No arraignment date has been set.