MILLER COUNTY, Mo. — Prosecutor Ben Winfrey says Miller County doesn’t go easy on drug criminals, and he points to three recent prison sentences as evidence.

Jacob Burke, of Vienna, John Kennedy of Versailles, and Jeffrey Boyland of Barnett have been sent to prison for their crimes. Burke pled guillty to possession and intent to distribute meth, after he was found with a meth lab at a campground in December 2014. His wife also went to jail for meth. Kennedy pled guilty to meth possession and intent to distribute as well as possession of an illegally sawed-off shotgun. Boyland was on probation for a morphine possession charge in 2013 as well as burglary and destruction of jail property charges. His probation was revoked when he was found with a large amount of marijuana this summer.

Winfrey provided the following summaries of each case:

Jacob Burke of Vienna was sentenced to 12 years in prison for attempting to manufacture methamphetamine and seven years for possession of a controlled substance.  Burke pled guilty in June, 2015 without a deal with Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Winfrey.  In December, 2014 Burke was arrested after he was found by Department of Conservation Agent Tyler S. Brown at a campground in the Saline Valley Conservation Area building a meth lab.  Located in and around his car were the necessary ingredient to make methamphetamine such as batteries, bleach, and coffee filters.  Officers from the Miller County Sheriff’s Department and the Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force assisted in the investigation. Also located in Burke’s car were syringes which included methamphetamine.  Burke’s wife, Audrey, was sentenced to five (5) years in May, 2015 also without a deal from Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Winfrey. The sentences were ordered concurrent and the court retained jurisdiction of his case so Burke will have an opportunity for drug treatment in prison and probation.

John R. Kennedy of Versailles was sentenced to five years in prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and two years in prison for unlawful use of a weapon.  Kennedy pled guilty in May, 2015 as a result of a January, 2015 arrest.  Missouri Highway Patrol Officer Timothy Fick apprehended Kennedy in the median of Highway 54 and W in Lake Ozark, Missouri. A search of Kennedy resulted in multiple bags of methamphetamine, a syringe of methamphetamine, an illegal sawed off shotgun, shot gun shells, and knives.  His sentenced will run concurrently.    

Jeffrey Boyland of Barnett was sentenced to prison for eight, five, and four years when his probations for possession of morphine with intent to distribute, burglary, and destruction of jail property were revoked and ordered served concurrently.  Boyland pled guilty and was placed on probation in 2013 when he was arrested in possession of several morphine pills.  He was also previously charged and placed on probation for Burglary in 2008 and Destroying Jail property while he was in custody. Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Winfrey recommended that his probations be revoked because in June, 2015 police caught him in Lake Ozark, Missouri in possession of 42 grams of marijuana.  Winfrey told the court that probation is intended to give defendants an opportunity to turn their life around but he would not tolerate abuse of probation.  He said “clearly a trunk full of marijuana is not an indicator he is trying to turn his life around.”


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