Murfreesboro Man Sentenced to 45 Years Following Howard County Drug Conviction

On Monday, May 11, a trial was held in Howard County Circuit Court in the case of the State of Arkansas versus 53-year-old Stanley Gosnell Jr. of Murfreesboro.

A jury consisting of nine women and three men found Gosnell guilty of possession of a controlled substance involving less than four ounces of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance involving less than two grams of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and tampering with physical evidence.

Gonell was sentenced to a combined total of 45 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction, one year in county jail, and fined a total of $32,500.

The charges stemmed from a traffic stop conducted on March 4, 2025, after Gonell allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign on Cassidy Street in Nashville.

K-9 Officer Greg Parker testified that after initiating the traffic stop, Gonell initially failed to pull over and swerved several times before eventually stopping on U.S. Highway 27.
marijuana cigarette that was sitting on the center console before tossing it out the window past the officer.

Parker testified, and body camera footage showed, that he questioned Gosnell about the strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. According to testimony, Gosnell showed Parker a partially smoked marijuana cigarette that was sitting on the center console before tossing it out the window past the officer.

Officer Dillon Roberts later arrived on the scene and assisted Parker in searching the vehicle.
During the search, officers discovered a small amount of marijuana and a plastic bag containing a substance believed to be methamphetamine.

Cassidy Callaway of the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory testified that testing confirmed the substance was methamphetamine, although the lab was unable to determine its weight.
Following deliberations, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts.