A Noel man charged with assaulting, stalking and tampering with a witness won't be spending any time behind bars.
Matthew David Rash (DOB 1990) pleaded guilty to the charges today in McDonald County Circuit Court, was sentenced to four years in prison for assault, four years for stalking and seven years for tampering with a witness.
Judge John R. LePage suspended all three sentences and placed Rash on supervised probation for five years, with the condition that he not go anywhere near his victim.
The sentence was issued despite Rash's lengthy record, which includes pending felony charges against him in Newton County, as detailed in the November 15 Turner Report:
Online court records show that in addition to the alleged crimes committed by Rash against the woman, he is currently awaiting trial on two other felony charges in Newton County.
The Neosho Police Department arrested Rash on a felony possession of a controlled substance charge May 11, 2023. Nearly a year and a half has passed and Rash has yet to have a preliminary hearing. Online Newton County Circuit Court records show the hearing is scheduled for February 3.
Rash's other Newton County Case dates back to 2022 when the Neosho Police Department arrested him for driving while intoxicated.
The case was delayed four times when Rash showed up without an attorney.
On the fifth time, not only did Rash still not have an attorney, but he also failed to show and a warrant was issued for his arrest by Judge Anna Christina Rhoades with bond set at $250 cash only.
After Rash was picked up, he asked to have his bond reduced. Judge Rhoades denied the request.
Rash finally hired an attorney, but no hearings have been held since, according to online records. His next hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. December 16.
2 comments:
Our system is awful. That's all I can say. Speechless
Catch and release appears to be the thing sometimes!
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