Food truck operator, former restaurant owner faces federal drug, weapons charges

A Cape Girardeau food truck operator and former downtown restaurant owner has been indicted by a federal grand jury on drug distribution and weapons accusations.

The indictment claims the federal government could seize 215 weapons if it obtains a conviction in the weapons case.

Shawn D. Stockard Sr. was indicted on the weapons charge in October. He was indicted on the drug charges March 5.

The federal drug indictment stems from an arrest made Feb. 2 in which Stockard was alleged to have possessed hydrocodone, clonazepam and oxycodone HCL, with the intent to distribute.

The federal weapons indictment stems from an arrest made by Cape Girardeau police officer Joseph Whistler in February, when he stopped Stockard for facing westbound in an eastbound lane on a street that was redacted in a probable-cause statement. Stockard originally declined Whistler's request to search his vehicle, but he consented to a search of his person “at which time I located three white oblong pills with the markings M357, which I knew from my training and experience to be acetaminophen/hydrocodone, a schedule II controlled substance,” according to the probable cause document.

The officer also found other pills, which Stockard told the officer belonged to someone else. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, officers found four orange containers containing 252 pills. They also found $322 in cash, along with two pairs of brass knuckles.

Stockard was initially held on a cash-only bond of $30,000.

In addition to the federal charges, Stockard also faces a second-degree harassment charge, which was filed in October.

An order of protection was issued stemming from an altercation in late September when Stockard allegedly threatened a neighbor after the person told Stockard he would call police.

He also faces litigation from the Touchdown Estates 3 and 4 Homeowners Association, an upscale subdivision in Cape Girardeau County just outside of Jackson. That action accuses Stockard, among other things, of operating a commercial enterprise from their lot and shining spotlights on neighbors through the night. The filing was submitted to the courts Feb. 9, a week after Stockard was arrested.

In the weapons indictment, Stockard, who was convicted of a felony, is accused of knowingly possessing firearms and transporting them across state lines. According to the indictment, Stockard acquired 12, 10 and six firearms on three occasions. The indictment also charges Stephanie Rana Stockard with making false statements when purchasing some of the weapons.

In the drug case, federal states attorney Tim Willis told the court in a motion for pre-trial detention and hearing that he believed Stockard was a flight risk and a “threat to the community”. Stockard Sr. pleaded not guilty in federal court March 14 and waived his right to a detention hearing. The judge ordered the defendant to be detained pending trial on the federal charges.

Stockard Sr. owns and operates Stockards Cajun Shack & More, which is commonly set up in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. He also owns rental properties. Stockard Sr.'s father, Dennis Stockard, bought Broussard’s restaurant from the restaurant’s original owner, Baron Broussard in 1991. Shawn Stockard Sr. took over the restaurant around 2001, then sold it to Hunter and Stephanie Clark in 2004.

Shawn Stockard II was issued a warrant Thursday on charges he violated an order of protection against an adult. It is not clear whether his case is related to Stockard Sr.’s.

Editor's note: This story has been edited to remove information about a 2019 case that was incorrectly applied to Stockard Sr. when it was Stockard II who was convicted of the charges. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.