Witness refuses to give testimony; case dismissed

Memorial Day travelers bemoan high gas prices

Norm Hayward and his wife, Claudia, have a couple of things going for them as they continue their increasingly expensive motor home trip around parts of the United States. For starters, the Phoenix, Ariz., couple are saving on hotel costs.

Crime & Courts

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March 14, 2013

Witness refuses to give testimony; case dismissed

news@joplinglobe.com The Joplin Globe Thu Mar 14, 2013, 11:32 PM CDT

A Jasper County judge Thursday dismissed a felony weapon charge that a Joplin man was facing when the alleged victim in the case refused to testify against him.

Kenyatta Wilson took the witness stand but refused to testify at the preliminary hearing of Tyretha D. Smith, 19, in Jasper County Circuit Court in Joplin. Her refusal prompted Associate Judge Richard Copeland to dismiss the charge of unlawful use of a weapon that Smith was facing.

A Joplin police report states that officers responding to a report of an Oct. 27 disturbance on South Moffet Avenue were told by Wilson that Smith had pointed a gun at her face during an argument.

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