Traffic stop results in multiple charges

A Tecumseh man faces drug charges and child endangerment stemming from a traffic stop in August 2025.

According to the probable cause statement filed by Ozark County Deputy Hunter Ryan, Tecumseh resident Josh Barnes, born 1981, was stopped for a possible traffic violation when Ryan became suspicious about Barnes’ apparent nervousness.

According to Ryan’s statement, he was conducting general patrol in the Tecumseh area when he observed the suspect’s Chevrolet S10 truck with no visible license plates pull into the road named Can Borrow 318. Ryan initiated a traffic stop to investigate a potential registration violation.

Ryan wrote that as he requested Barnes’ driver’s license, Barnes “appeared visibly nervous, with shaky hands” and handed Ryan a debit card instead of the license.

According to the probable cause statement, Ryan again requested the driver’s license, and Barnes provided the requested item. During the traffic stop, Ryan said he detected a strong odor of marijuana.

“I asked Barnes if his nervousness was due to the marijuana odor,” Ryan wrote. “He denied this, stating he was not accustomed to being pulled over.”

Ryan wrote that he then asked Barnes if he was on probation or parole, and Barnes said he was on probation for a prior gun charge. Barnes consented to a vehicle search when asked. According to Ryan, Barnes and a female passenger exited the truck and sat on the tailgate while the officer searched the truck.

According to the probable cause statement, Ryan located a dollar bill in the driver’s side cup holder and, after inspecting the bill with his flashlight, he saw a white, shiny, crystal-like residue. The residue tested positive for methamphetamine.

Deputy Josh Sherman, who was with Ryan according to a post on the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department Facebook page, read Barnes his Miranda rights and questioned him. Barnes was then arrested and transported to the Ozark County Jail.

Ryan waited at the scene with the teenage passenger until she was picked up by her mother.

Barnes is charged with possession of a controlled substance, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child involving drugs and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia with a prior drug offense. He was scheduled to appear in Ozark County Associate Court before Judge Raymond Gross on Tuesday, Jan. 6. Results of that hearing were not available at press time.