Pair arrested in Douglas County

Two men were arrested after a traffic stop in Douglas County on the evening of Sep. 22.
According to a Douglas County Sheriff’s report, Douglas County Deputy Sam Evans made a traffic stop on a vehicle towing a trailer on Highway O for no tags on the trailer.
At the conclusion of the official investigation, Deputy Evans arrested the driver, Matthew Smith, 54, from Fordland, for a revoked driver’s license.
Several grams of methamphetamines were seized from the vehicle along with firearms.
The passenger, Brian Shive, 57, of Mountain Grove, was arrested as well.
It was determined that both subjects were convicted felons which prohibits them from possessing firearms.
Warrants were obtained for both subjects for possession of a controlled substance, unlawful use of a weapon (possessing meth and firearms, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon).
Smith’s bond was set at $20,000 cash only.
Shive’s bond was set at $15,000 cash only.
Smith has 33 prior criminal arrests and Shive has 16 prior criminal arrests.
Douglas County Sheriff Chris Degase would like to acknowledge the proactive work of Deputy Evans for looking beyond the traffic stop.
This went from a traffic stop for a license plate to a multiple felony case.