Smith pleads guilty to September 2025 drug possession charge

On Feb. 4,  Corey Smith of Gainesville, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 5 years in the DOC, SES, 5 years probation and ordered to successfully complete the one year program at the Action Recovery Center in Gainesville. An SES, or suspended execution of sentence, means Smith was sentenced to a prison term but was placed on probation. He will not go to prison unless he violates the terms of his probation.

Smith’s charges are from a Sept. 9, 2025, methamphetamine bust. According to the probable cause statement prepared by Ozark County Deputy Josh Sherman, the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Enforcement Team executed a search warrant at Smith’s home in Gainesville. 

Smith and Charles Worthem were inside the residence at the time of the search warrant execution, along with three children, the report says. Smith and Worthem were arrested. 

During the search, deputies reportedly found an orange pill bottle in Smith’s vehicle that field-tested positive for methamphetamine. In Smith’s bedroom, officers say they seized a blue glass smoking device and two clear smoking devices, all of which also tested positive for meth. A Motorola cell phone was also taken into evidence.

In Worthem’s bedroom, deputies reported finding multiple glass smoking devices and a black digital scale, all testing positive for meth. One of the pipes contained a clear liquid, the report says. Officers also seized a Samsung cell phone and a 9mm SAR Arms pistol with a holster. 

Inside a gun safe in the Worthem’s bedroom, officers report to have found an orange pill bottle with 27 Oxycodone pills (with someone else’s name on the prescription), several items that field-tested positive for meth and with a white crystal substance on/in them, along with 10 firearms. The report also noted what Sherman describes as “deplorable” living conditions inside the home. As a mandated reporter, the deputy said he was obligated to contact the Missouri Children’s Division hotline about the conditions.