Former Rangeline Sonic supervisor sentenced for sixth DWI, may be free in one year

 

Thanks to a sweetheart plea bargain with the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's office, Chris Alred, 34, who pleaded guilty September 28 in Jasper County Circuit Court to his sixth DWI may be a free man in one year.

Judge David Mouton sentenced Alred to 10 years in prison this morning, but part of the sentence permits him to enroll in a substance abuse program, which if he successfully completes it, could have him out on the street in 12 months.

That arrangement, set up by state law for non-violent offenders, is only a portion of Alred's deal with the prosecuting attorney. In exchange for his guilty plea, a felony charge of statutory sodomy was also dropped. That crime allegedly took place in 2016.

The sentencing hearing was originally scheduled for December 14, but was postponed when Alred failed to show. Judge Mouton did not issue a warrant for his arrest, instead rescheduling the hearing.

The crime for which Alred is scheduled (tentatively, it would seem) to be sentenced occurred August 27, 2017, when he was stopped by the Sarcoxie Police Department.

In the probable cause statement for Alred's sixth DWI, Sarcoxie Officer Connor Hackworth said Alred was stopped for driving with only one headlight. Alred pulled over on a ramp that said "do not enter" facing oncoming traffic.

Hackworth smelled alcohol and noticed Alred's eight-year-old daughter was in the car with him.

Alred refused to do a field sobriety test, then put the car into drive and pulled away. Hackworth stopped him at the Kum N. Go.

Court records detail Alred's long history or getting behind the wheel after drinking.

-Pleaded guilty April 20, 2012 in Jasper County Circuit Court for a November 2, 2011 DWI arrest

-Pleaded guilty May 2012 in Newton County Circuit Court for a December 1, 2010 DWI arrest
-Pleaded guilty April 15, 2010 in Joplin Municipal Court for a September 6, 2009 DWI arrest

-Pleaded guilty April 15, 2010 in Joplin Municipal Court for a May 12, 2009 DWI arrest

-Pleaded guilty February 22, 2007 in Neosho Municipal Court for a July 3, 2006 DWI arrest

-Pleaded guilty May 2, 2006 in Jasper County Circuit Court to excessive blood alcohol content for a February 23, 2005 arrest

Statutory sodomy case

The statutory sodomy case against Alred that the prosecuting attorney agreed to dismiss was filed after he allegedly compelled a 16-year-old Sonic carhop to perform oral sex on him in 2016.

The allegation was the centerpiece of a lawsuit filed in September 2017 against Sonic and Alred by the former carhop that claimed the business had a culture of sexual harassment that led to her assault and the assault of another underage carhop.

Sonic settled the case out of court in October 2018 for an undisclosed amount.

The girl's father told the Turner Report the settlement included a "pretty restrictive" confidentiality agreement.

Turner Report Disclosure Statement

On September 13, 2017, an arrest warrant was issued for Chris Alred, who was sentenced this morning as a non-violent offender following a Joplin Police Department investigation into an attack on me at my apartment. 

I identified Alred from a photo lineup as the person who came to my apartment, knocked on the door and asked if I was Mr. Turner. When I said I was, he punched me without warning. The attack came only a few hours after the Turner Report published the post on Alred's sixth DWI. The post about the Sonic lawsuit and the statutory sodomy charges against Alred had been published the previous week.

The JPD issued the following news release:

We are seeking the arrest of Christopher Alred, 31, for the assault of local blogger Randy Turner.

We know he frequents the area along with the Springfield area.

Our detectives developed probable cause to arrest him yesterday afternoon and he hasn't been located

Alred was never arrested.