Judge orders man to stand trial in cocaine case

Area pools ready for plunge; Schifferdecker opening still to be announced

Though this week’s mild temperatures may not signal swim season, most area pools are ready anyway. And, the mercury should rise a little this weekend to help those anxious to dive in. Highs will be in the low 80s today and Sunday. There is a chance for isolated thunderstorms on Monday, but the thermometer should hit 82 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Crime & Courts

Discussion

June 14, 2012

Judge orders man to stand trial in cocaine case

news@joplinglobe.com The Joplin Globe Thu Jun 14, 2012, 11:33 PM CDT

A Joplin man waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday in Jasper County Circuit Court on a felony drug-trafficking charge.

Johnny T. Taylor, 24, was ordered bound over for trial by Associate Judge Richard Copeland. The judge set Taylor’s initial appearance in a trial division of the court for June 25.

Taylor was arrested Feb. 7 after a Joplin Police Department detective noticed suspicious activity around a vehicle parked near Ninth Street and Porter Avenue and arranged for a traffic stop by a patrol officer.

The defendant was taken into custody when a police dog’s alert led to a search of the vehicle and the alleged discovery of some cocaine powder on a seat of the car and some marijuana in a container. The trafficking charge stems from 19 grams of cocaine allegedly found during booking procedures at the Joplin City Jail, according to a probable-cause affidavit.

Text Only

Crime & Courts

Murder warrant issued in fatal domestic shooting
Police believe Doyle Handle shot himself after fatally shooting Dena Davenport during a domestic disturbance Thursday night at their residence in Grove. Officers responded to a 6:55 p.m. report of a shooting at the couple’s home on Wood Street on the southwest side of Grove and found Handle, 52, in the front yard with a gunshot wound to his jaw.

May 24, 2013
Murder warrant issued in fatal domestic shooting
Police believe Doyle Handle shot himself after fatally shooting Dena Davenport during a domestic disturbance Thursday night at their residence in Grove.

May 24, 2013
No charges to be filed in Joplin shooting case
The nonfatal shooting of a 25-year-old man at a Joplin residence on May 13 has been deemed justified by authorities. Jacob B. Boykin, 21, of Joplin, shot Justin S. Johnson, 25, of Carterville, once in the chest with a small-caliber handgun at 5260 E. Sunny Acres Lane.

May 23, 2013
Alcohol cited as factor in Grand Lake boat crash that killed two college students
Alcohol was one of several factors contributing to a boating accident on Grand Lake earlier this month that claimed the lives of two college students.

May 23, 2013
Hired hand won’t face death penalty in Vernon County murder case
The state has agreed not to seek the death penalty against Jeremy L. Maples in the murder of Belinda J. Beisly, but prosecutors have yet to take the option off the table for the victim’s husband, Bob T. Beisly II.

May 22, 2013 1 Photo
Former IRS worker gets probation after guilty plea to theft of funds
Pittsburg resident and former Internal Revenue Service employee Becky L. Book received two years probation after pleading guilty earlier this year to the theft of $26,449.65 in public funds.

May 22, 2013
Arma mother facing murder charge in sleeping baby’s death
Heather Buckalew fell asleep on a couch with her 4-month-old baby after a night last summer drinking beer with her boyfriend. The boyfriend, Donald Harvey, got up to go to work a few hours later and spotted his son, lying face down on a pillow between the back of the couch and his sleeping mother.

May 21, 2013 1 Photo
Vandals cause $37,000 in damage at Joplin business
A Joplin business owner was the victim of a weekend vandalism spree that resulted in an estimated $37,000 in damages and theft, in addition to putting the company out of service for at least two days.

May 21, 2013 1 Photo
Two plead guilty to post-tornado wire theft
Two defendants pleaded guilty Monday to stealing copper wire from utility poles in the wake of the May 22, 2011, tornado that struck Joplin. Timothy M. Silveria, 45, of Joplin, and Nycoa K. Kracht, 32, of Laurel, Ind., entered open pleas of guilty in Jasper County Circuit Court to felony counts of theft from a public utility.

May 20, 2013
Firefighters douse blaze inside wall; no injuries cited
The Joplin Fire Department used thermal-imaging equipment Wednesday night to detect a hidden fire inside a residence.

May 16, 2013
More Crime & Courts Headlines