Not guilty plea entered in Memorial Middle School shooting case

Thomas Gregory White, 14, Joplin, pleaded not guilty today in Jasper County Circuit Court to two charges of assault, plus unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action, and attempted escape in connection with the Oct. 9 shooting incident at Memorial Middle School:

The combined maximum sentence for all counts except armed criminal action is 49 years in prison, according to public defender Brett Meeker. The armed criminal action count carries a minimum penalty of three years but no specific maximum sentence.