Taney County Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Merrell announced today that DARIUS SMITH d/o/b 1-12-1995 of Branson, Missouri entered a plea of guilty Tuesday to the class D felony of forgery in the Circuit Court of Taney County, Missouri. Formal sentencing is set for October 16, 2018 at 9:00am.

On July 7, 2017, Deputy Gene Piveral with the Taney County Sheriff’s Department stopped an Oldsmobile for driving on the shoulder of Business 65 in Hollister, Missouri. During the traffic stop Deputy Piveral learned that the vehicle was stolen out of Springfield, Missouri. DARIUS SMITH was arrested and during a search of the vehicle seven-hundred and fifty (750) dollars in counterfeit currency was found in the center console.

The range of punishment for a class D felony is imprisonment in the custody of the Missouri Department of Corrections for a term of years not to exceed seven (7) years; or by imprisonment for a special term not to exceed one (1) year in the county jail or other authorized penal institution; or by a fine not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000); or by both imprisonment and a fine.