K-9 service company owner arrested on drug charges

Photo provided by Greene County Sheriff’s Office

Tim Brenner is charged with two felony counts.

The owner of Southern Missouri Judicial Services LLC was arrested Nov. 9 on charges of possession of a controlled substance, according to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.

Online court records indicate Tim Brenner faces two counts of “possession of controlled substance except 35 grams or less of marijuana/synthetic cannabinoid,” a Class D felony. The Greene County Sheriff’s Office also announced the arrest and indictment Friday on Facebook.

The warrant issued Nov. 8 indicates Brenner and his employees may not possess any drug or controlled substance unless it’s prescribed by a physician. It also prohibits Southern Missouri Judicial Services employees from confiscating drugs or controlled substances. The Southern Missouri Judicial Services office, 1111 N. Boonville Ave., was raided in May, according to online court records.

Reached this morning, Brenner said his company previously used marijuana to train its drug-sniffing dogs. Since May, he said the business has only carried synthetic cannabinoids and has worked with government agencies he declined to name to train his K-9s on how to detect the actual drug.

“I’m really shocked over the whole thing,” he said. “I’ve just never heard of anything like this before.”

Brenner said SMoJS has a permit through the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services’ Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs that allows the practice he’s now being charged with.

“What we have is a researcher permit. It allows us to have controlled substances and train our dogs with them,” he said.

State officials could not be reached by deadline since government offices are closed today in observance of Veterans Day.

Brenner said he hired Carver, Cantin and Mynarich LLC attorneys Shane Cantin and Thomas Carver to represent him in the case. A pretrial conference is scheduled Jan. 22.

In addition to K-9 training, SMoJS also conducts security and investigation services. The company was founded in 2009, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.