Federal grand jury indicts Carthage man for illegal possession of a firearm

A grand jury indictment of a Carthage man for being a felon in possession of a firearm was unsealed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

According to the indictment, Phillip Jordan Neese, 33, possessed the weapons September 17 in Jasper County.

The indictment stems from a Joplin Police Department arrest that day. Neese was charged with drug trafficking, unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was bound over for trial after waiving his preliminary hearing December 9.

From the Jasper County probable cause statement:

On 09/17/2025 I attempted to make an investigative stop on Philip Jordan Benet Neese after a Joplin
Police Department Detective had sent out his photograph indicating he was a suspect in an unlawful
use of a weapon investigation. 

Upon seeing the male I immediately recognized him. I observed Neese walking eastbound on 8th Street from S. Connor Avenue. I attempted to stop Neese, but Neese continued walking southbound. 

As Neese was walking southbound, he retrieved a small gray and black pistol from hear his waistline. Neese then ducked behind a nearby residence before quickly reemerging.

Neese was detained without incident. I located a small gray/black Kel-Tec .380 caliber pistol (SN#LFQ02) behind a tree approximately 3 feet from where I saw Neese. Neese admitted to throwing the firearm behind the tree. 

Neese was found to be a convicted felon and was arrested for felon in possession of a firearm. Search incident to arrest yielded a methamphetamine pipe and a folded piece of foil in Neese's pocket. Inside the foil I located approximately 0.49 grams of a white powder substance. 

Due to my training and experience I believed the substance to be fentanyl. Under miranda warning, Neese admitted to the substance either being fentanyl or "tranq". I tested the substance via TruNarc and test #4323 identified the substance to be positive for fentanyl compound.