In a sentencing memorandum filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, the government recommended a 19-year sentence for a Carterville man charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
The long criminal history of Cody Wayne Goucher, 44, was cited by Assistant U. S. Attorney Cameron A. Beaver as the reason for the recommendation.
In connection with the instant offense, the defendant is responsible for a significant quantity of methamphetamine that he intended to disburse into the community.Further, the defendant’s actions in this case, which include his flight from law enforcement in a vehicle on two separate occasions – in one instance reaching speeds of more than 75 miles per hour on residential streets – both ending in the defendant’s vehicle crashing, created an extreme danger to the community as a whole and the law enforcement officers attempting to conduct the traffic stops.
Notably, during his flight on October 7, 2022, in addition to the approximately 300 grams of methamphetamine, the defendant was also found to be in possession of more than 100 rounds of ammunition for two separate types of firearms.
The defendant’s significant methamphetamine distribution, his repeated flight from law enforcement, and the credible threat made against a law enforcement officer demonstrate the danger that the defendant poses to the community. Those actions also demonstrate the blatant disrespect he has for the rule of law and the officers that are tasked with enforcing our laws.
Because of those considerations, the Government believes that a significant sentence is necessary and appropriate in this case.
Further supporting the need for a significant sentence is the defendant’s abysmal criminal history. He appears before this Court as a criminal history category of VI, the highest category contemplated by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, based both on his amassed criminal history points and his status as a career offender under the Guidelines.
The defendant’s criminal history includes six prior felony convictions and numerous misdemeanor or other convictions, and is diversified to include felony property crimes, felony drug crimes, and felony and misdemeanor acts of assault and violence.
In 2004, he committed the acts that resulted in his first three felony convictions. He was convicted of second-degree domestic assault after he threatened his girlfriend with a firearm, put the firearm to her chin and pulled the trigger, though a bullet was not fired.
That same year, he was arrested and later convicted for being in possession of a stolen motorcycle and possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Upon release from his incarceration sentences, he violated his parole and was returned to prison for possessing Xanax without a prescription, as well as driving while intoxicated.
After serving more time in the department of corrections, the defendant was later convicted of two additional instances of domestic assault, two instances of violating an order of protection, felony receiving stolen property, and felony possession of methamphetamine.
The defendant has been leading a life of crime for more than two decades. Most concerning to the Government are his violent, assaultive acts or threats made to girlfriends and law enforcement personal.
The defendant has habitually created dangerous situations for the community, and his repeated return to crime throughout his life demonstrates that he has absolutely no respect for the rule of law, he is not deterred by law enforcement or criminal justice intervention, and when he is allowed to be part of the community, he presents a very real danger.
He pleaded guilty May 18.
Goucher's sentencing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday, November 28, in Springfield.
Good thing the feds went after him, as the locals might have gifted him another catch and release!
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