West Plains, MO. – A local West Plains man was arrested for trafficking drugs in and out of Howell County. 51-year-old Kenneth Burnett was charged with distribution of a controlled substance near a school, possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, and 2nd-degree trafficking of drugs.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the Howell County Sheriff’s Department, the South Central Drug Task Force, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol received information that indicated that Kenneth Burnett had been actively distributing quantities of methamphetamine in and around Howell County and had recently made a “re-up” and returned to Howell County to sell it.
On August 14, 2024, the same three law enforcement departments executed a search warrant for his residence which was located within 1,000 feet of the Junction Hill Elementary School. During the search, they found Burnett located in his shop building to the southwest of his residence. They searched his person and found a small metal cylinder, silver in color, with several white and orange pills inside. In his residence, they found plastic baggies with white unknown pills, with there being about 30 pills in the bag. These were sent to the Missouri State Highway Patrol lab for testing.
In Burnett’s shop, they found a black bag with 10 ounces of methamphetamine. These were all bagged up into 1-ounce bags, ready for distribution. They also located syringes, multiple empty clear baggies, a blue smoking device, and a set of scales. Located on the floor were three, five-gallon buckets containing unknown liquid.
Burnett was arrested and is now being held on a $150,000 bond.
