By Jeff Lehr
jlehr@joplinglobe.com
A Jasper County judge on Monday sentenced a 48-year-old man to 10 years in prison for trafficking in crack cocaine.
Timothy Johnson, who has Kansas City and Granby addresses listed in court records, changed his plea in Jasper County Circuit Court in Joplin to guilty on a charge of second-degree trafficking in drugs.
The plea change was part of an agreement with the prosecutor’s office that dismissed a second felony drug charge and limited the prison time Johnson might be required to serve to no more than 10 years. The defendant also waived his right to a sentencing-assessment report.
Circuit Judge Gayle Crane accepted the plea bargain and assessed Johnson the 10-year term.
The conviction stems from an arrest by the Jasper County Drug Task Force on Oct. 10, 2008. A probable-cause affidavit states that task force members went to the Motel 6 on Range Line Road in Joplin to check out a tip that a man was dealing crack cocaine from a vehicle in the parking lot.
Officers found a vehicle matching the description and apprehended Johnson, the driver. A bag containing 5 grams of cocaine was found on the front seat of the vehicle, according to the affidavit. Johnson reportedly had $4,000 in cash on him when he was taken into custody.
At the Joplin City Jail, a bag containing 27 grams of rock and powder cocaine was discovered in a body cavity of the defendant, according to the affidavit.
On March 24 of this year, while Johnson was free on bail pending a trial on the trafficking charge, a search warrant was served by task force members at an address on South Waggoner Avenue. The defendant reportedly was present and was searched as a consequence of the search warrant.
A bag containing 1.3 grams of crack cocaine allegedly was found in a pocket of Johnson’s jeans, and a charge of possession with intent to deliver was filed against him. That charge was dismissed in the plea agreement.
Local News
Crack cocaine dealer gets 10-year prison term
- Local News
-
-
Electric bill to drop $6 a month in Joplin
The Missouri Public Service Commission has approved a request filed by The Empire District Electric Company, based in Joplin, to lower the fuel adjustment charge (FAC) on the bills of its electric customers.
-
Mo. Legislature officially ends its 2012 session
Missouri's annual legislative session has officially come to a close.
-
Strong to severe storms forecast for Joplin region
Storms developing across the central and southern plains this afternoon are expected to migrate into the Joplin region this evening.
-
Economic-development strategies posed for Joplin region
More than 30 people shared ideas Wednesday on ways to promote economic development in the seven counties that are participating in the Joplin Regional Prosperity Initiative.
-
Kansas primary filing deadline near
Kansas candidates have until noon Friday for file for county offices in the Aug. 7 primary.
-
Date set to reintroduce rare beetle in Missouri
An endangered species of beetle will be reintroduced in southwest Missouri on June 5.
-
Senators: Missouri River flooding unifying moment
Two U.S. senators who symbolize disagreements between upstream and downstream states over management of the Missouri River say last year’s historic flooding was a unifying moment.
-
First-ever electricity for parts of India
The solar power company SunEdison is launching a program to get electricity for the first time to more than two dozen villages in India.
-
Couple 'scoop out' ice cream business from the past
When 3-year-old Brynlee Rabel tried coconut ice cream for the first time Tuesday, it was love at first taste. “She got the vanilla, but when she tasted my coconut ice cream she had to have it,” said Kayleigh Daugherty, a Joplin resident who wanted Brynlee to share the same experience she had as a little girl when she visited Anderson’s Ice Cream.
-
Missouri National Guard releases records involving soldiers who looted from Wal-Mart
The Missouri National Guard has released records confirming that four soldiers were disciplined for taking merchandise from the ruins of a Wal-Mart store in Joplin one day after the tornado that devastated the city a year ago.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Electric bill to drop $6 a month in Joplin
