Carterville man sentenced to 15 years for meth trafficking

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Carterville, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing methamphetamine to distribute.

Cody Goucher, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 15 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. Goucher was sentenced as a career offender due to his prior felony convictions.

On May 18, 2023, Goucher pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine to distribute.

On Oct. 7, 2022, a Carl Junction, Mo., police officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the gray Nissan Titan pickup truck Goucher was driving. Goucher initially stopped, but then began slowly driving away. As the officer followed the vehicle and activated his siren, Goucher increased his speed. Eventually the truck left the roadway and crashed into a ditch. Goucher was found lying in the ditch and was arrested.

The officer found a green backpack beside the vehicle that contained approximately 300 grams of methamphetamine as well as drug paraphernalia. According to court documents, Goucher was also in possession of more than 100 rounds of ammunition for two separate types of firearms.

According to court documents, Goucher’s criminal history includes six prior felony convictions and numerous misdemeanor or other convictions, including felony property crimes, felony drug crimes, and felony and misdemeanor acts of assault and violence. In one of his three convictions for domestic assault, Goucher threatened his girlfriend with a firearm, put the firearm to her chin and pulled the trigger, though a bullet was not fired. He also threatened a law enforcement officer involved in the investigation of this federal case.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron A. Beaver. It was investigated by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team, and the Carl Junction, Mo., Police Department.