Defendant sent to prison in drunken-driving crash

Community gearing up for two-year anniversary ceremony this afternoon

With the playground full of children, it could be any other day at Joplin’s Cunningham Park, but the white tents popping up and neat rows of white chairs lined up nearby indicate something more is happening today.

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July 28, 2012

Defendant sent to prison in drunken-driving crash

From staff reports The Joplin Globe Sat Jul 28, 2012, 12:07 AM CDT

A 27-year-old man pleaded guilty Friday to operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated in an injury accident in Webb City earlier this year and was assessed four years in prison.

Joshua M. Thompson, of Galena, Kan., changed his plea to guilty in Jasper County Circuit Court in a plea agreement with the prosecutor’s office that capped the time he would be required to serve at four years.

The defendant agreed to waive his right to a sentencing-assessment report as part of the plea arrangement, and Circuit Judge David Mouton assessed the prison term.

A probable-cause affidavit states that Thompson tested for a blood-alcohol level of 0.141 percent following a motor vehicle accident May 10 at the intersection of Hall Street and MacArthur Boulevard. Shawn Wilson was injured in the accident, according to the affidavit

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