The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Local News

December 8, 2009

DWI charge against Neosho minister to be dismissed

By Derek Spellman

dspellman@joplinglobe.com

NEOSHO, Mo. — A charge of driving while intoxicated against a Neosho minister who has maintained his innocence since his arrest in July will be dismissed, city officials said Tuesday.

Melvin Stapp, 61, had asked that the DWI charge be dismissed after a Breathalyzer test showed no traces of alcohol in his system not long after his arrest on July 5. The charge had remained, though, pending the results of a lab analysis of a urine sample Stapp gave authorities in July.

“While substances were found to be present in Mr. Stapp’s test results, it has been determined that it was the result of prescription medication lawfully taken by Mr. Stapp,” the city said in a news release Tuesday.

City Attorney Steve Hays, who also acts as the city prosecutor in municipal cases, declined to comment beyond the press release, although he did say the dismissal extends only to the DWI charge. A separate charge of improper lane use against Stapp will remain.

Stapp, who has addressed the City Council about his arrest and the amount of time involved in obtaining the lab results, welcomed the news release.

“Finally,” he told the Globe on Tuesday. “I was glad to get that taken care of.”

Stapp reiterated what he had previously said: that he had no harsh words for the city, that the police have always been polite, and that they made a “judgment call” with which he disagreed.

Still, he said he thinks “the damage that was done (to his reputation) will never be repaired.”

Police had said Stapp failed several field sobriety tests administered at the scene and also had red eyes, which Stapp later said stem from eye problems he has had for years. Stapp was arrested.

A Breathalyzer test administered at the Newton County Jail showed no traces of alcohol, while the results of the urine sample analysis remained pending.

Stapp has always denied both the DWI charge and the charge of improper lane use.

“To me, it seems like I’ve been assumed guilty already,” he told the City Council in late July, later saying that his reputation was damaged. “Everybody in the country knows I’ve been arrested,” and “everybody in the country knows I’m a pastor,” he said.

Police Chief Dave McCracken previously told the Globe that he understood why Stapp was upset, but he said police acted in accordance with state law and department policy. Once police arrested Stapp on probable cause of driving while intoxicated, a condition that extends not only to alcohol but also to legally prescribed medications if they impair driving, the department could not “un-arrest” him and had to file paperwork with Hays, the chief said.

As for the improper-lane charge, Stapp said he plans to continue contesting that too.

“I’m not going to plead guilty to it because I don’t think I did anything wrong,” he said Tuesday.

The minister said he plans to attend future council meetings, although he will not necessarily plan to speak to the council.

“If they leave me alone, I will leave them alone,” he said Tuesday, referring to the city.





Background

Melvin Stapp, the minister of Monark Baptist Church, was pulled over at 1:05 a.m. on July 5 after Neosho police reportedly saw his vehicle traveling over the center yellow line for about half a block on Neosho Boulevard, near Stadium Drive. Stapp said he was headed home after manning his church’s fireworks stand on July 4.

Text Only
Local News
  • 0519raderfarm1.jpg Civil War committee honors sacrifice of soldiers ambushed at Rader Farm

    Dozens of local residents gathered Saturday at the Rader Farm on the 150th anniversary of the massacre of 15 soldiers of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry and three white soldiers from the 2nd Kansas Volunteer Artillery Battery by guerrilla Confederate forces.

    May 18, 2013 2 Photos

  • Summer classes scheduled for Joplin, MSSU

    Summer classes for Joplin Schools have been scheduled for Monday, June 3, through Friday, June 28.

    May 18, 2013

  • Mike Pound: No cure for ‘worst parent ever syndrome’

    I may be the worst parent ever. The reason I say that is because our 15-year-old daughter, Emma, suggested that was the case the other day when I was driving her home from school.

    May 18, 2013

  • Wally Kennedy: Ye Olde King Pizza to open by September

    Let’s start at the beginning. Earlier this year, Brian and Tracy Myers, of Joplin, signed a licensing agreement to bring a Ye Olde King Pizza to Joplin. This style of pizza was the forerunner for what eventually would become Joplin’s signature pizza restaurant, Pizza by Stout. That restaurant at 2101 S. Range Line Road was destroyed by the May 2011 tornado.

    May 18, 2013

  • Registration continues for Get Fit TRYathlon in Pittsburg

    On average, it costs more than $600 to match one child with an adult volunteer in the Crawford County Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Four years ago, the Get Fit TRYathlon was born as a fundraiser for the program, and it has been gaining momentum, organizers say.

    May 19, 2013

  • Council to consider condemnation measures for widening projects

    The Joplin City Council on Monday night will consider ordinances for proposed condemnation proceedings on five pieces of property that are needed for three street widening projects.

    May 19, 2013

  • Andra Bryan Stefanoni: The story of two engines that could

    It’s hard not to be enamored by trains if you grew up where I did. Pittsburg is crisscrossed by rail lines, as are many Southeast Kansas towns that were built on the backs of coal miners.

    May 19, 2013

  • Jo Ellis: Mudslinging can be fun when it’s in the hands of kids

    CARTHAGE, Mo. — It’s slick. It’s sticky. It’s goopy. It’s soupy. It’s Mudstock 2013, and it’s going to be so much fun for kids. But hold on. Carthage police Chief Greg Dagnan said Mudstock isn’t just for kids. “Adults go through it all the time, and they have just as much fun,” he said, adding, “I think.”

    May 19, 2013

  • 051413 FoR Cheshire1_72.jpg FACES OF RECOVERY: 176,869 volunteers help put Joplin together again

    They initially came in droves, pouring into Joplin by the thousands during the months following the May 2011 tornado to clear debris, clean up damaged homes and businesses and distribute donations of food, water, clothing and other necessities.

    May 18, 2013 1 Photo 11 Stories

  • 051813 MemRun1_72.jpg VIDEO: Nearly 2,300 take part in second Joplin Memorial Run

    Having just cruised across the line to finish in first place in the Joplin Memorial Run’s half-marathon, Andrew Webb paused for a moment to catch his breath and take it all in.

    May 18, 2013 1 Photo 1 Slideshow

Must Read Stories
Photos


Sports
Facebook
Poll

Do you plan to attend any of the events planned Wednesday on the second anniversary of the May 2011 tornado?

A. Yes.
B. No.
     View Results
Opinion
Twitter Updates
Follow us on twitter
Follow me on Twitter
Business