Investigators accused Ross of directing his former campaign manager to put cocaine and a prescription amphetamine pill among Secker's belongings, according to a probable cause statement. ^[1] Thomas Ross, a 37-year-old Republican candidate for Missouri's House District 161, was charged with conspiring to distribute a controlled substance in connection with an alleged plot to plant drugs on primary rival Louise Secker on the Wednesday following the Aug. 4 primary. ^[2] Prosecutors accuse Ross of asking a campaign manager to plant a small amount of cocaine and a prescription amphetamine pill on his Republican primary opponent, Louise Secker, in the weeks leading up to the Aug. 4 primary. ^[3] Thomas Ross, a 37-year-old candidate for the Missouri House, appeared in court on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. ^[4] Missouri Republican Party Chairman Peter Kinder called for Ross to step aside, describing the matter as 'serious and deeply troubling.' ^[5] Law enforcement tests confirmed the substances in the glove were cocaine and Adderall. ^[6] Ross sent text messages to his campaign staffer regarding the substance, stating he hoped to make it happen before Secker attended a Republican women's meeting to give her 'extreme egg on the face.' ^[7]