Joplin R-8 Board member arraigned today on DWI charge

It was scheduled for April 2, but for some reason the arraignment for Joplin R-8 Board of Education member Phil Willcoxon on charges of driving while intoxicated and speeding was held this morning in Newton County Circuit Court.

At noted earlier in the Turner Report, Willcoxon and his lawyer, Charles Rhoades of Neosho, are fighting the charges.

A pre-trial conference has been scheduled for 10 a.m. May 7 in Judge Gregory Stremel's court.

The Missouri Highway Patrol arrested Willcoxon, 47, CEO of the Ozark Center in Joplin and former CEO of Freeman Neosho Hospital, at 9:50 p.m. Friday, February 14 on Coyote Road.

The citation indicates that Willcoxon exceeded the blood alcohol content, though it does not indicate by how much.

Willcoxon has served two three-year terms on the Board of Education, first being elected in April 2008. He did not choose to seek a third term.