Reputed Joplin Honkies member charged with assault, attempted rape

A Joplin man who allegedly assaulted his former girlfriend and attempted to rape her Friday pleaded not guilty during a video arraignment Monday in Jasper County Circuit Court and is being held in the Jasper County Jail on a $50,000 cash only bond.

A bond reduction hearing for Joseph Michael Flynn (DOB 1979), identified in 2020 court records as a member of the Joplin Honkies gang is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

According to the probable cause statement, the woman went to Flynn's home Friday morning and fell asleep on the couch.

When {she} woke up, Flynn was lying next to her and attempting to remove her clothing. She told him no and she did not want him to do that. Flynn told her if she was not going to have sex with him, she needed to leave his house.

She gathered her things and started to leave, but Flynn stopped her, according to the court document.

She made it to the front door when Flynn grabbed her by her hair, which was in a ponytail and pulled her backwards.

Flynn pushed her onto the couch and climbed on top of her, according to the statement, then put his forearm in her throat, making it difficult for the woman to breathe.

The woman told the Joplin Police Department that Flynn looked her in the eye and said, "You're going to f--k me, or I'm going to kill you." She said Flynn had threatened to kill her before, but never looked her in eye while doing so.

According to the probable cause statement, the woman managed to get out from underneath Flynn and stood. Flynn grabbed her, putting her in a chokehold and began pushing her pants down. She struggled to get away from her and attempted to stab him with her keys. She was finally able to pull away and leave the house.

Flynn's version of events differed from the woman's, the statement said. He said the woman had come to his house that morning and they fell asleep on the couch. When they woke up, they began arguing about their relationship and how it wasn't working.

He described the relationship as toxic. He stated nothing physical occurred and she left to go home after the argument.

On the probable cause statement, the arresting officer requested a warrant noting Flynn's long history of violent charges, some of them involving the same woman.

"Flynn is aware of where the victim is currently staying and reported he recently went to that location. Flynn is also known to carry a gun and was describing the new gun he recently purchased to the victim on the morning of the assault."

Jasper County Circuit Court online records show Flynn has a lengthy criminal history and is currently awaiting trial for felony possession of a controlled substance following an April 16, 2022 Joplin Police Department arrest. The next hearing in that case is scheduled for January 24.

The Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's office dismissed robbery and kidnapping charges against Flynn August 20, 2019 just before his trial was scheduled to begin. Prosecutors told the Joplin Globe the case was dropped due to problems with the evidence.

Flynn had been bound over for trial following a November 2018 preliminary hearing in which a man who was staying at a Webb City home testified Flynn and two other men armed with a machete came to collect a $380 debt.

The alleged victim testified the men beat him, with one stabbing him with a pocketknife and robbed him of his wallet, his cell phone and $500.

One year after the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's office dismissed the case against Flynn, it reached a plea bargain agreement with him on another set of charges.

Flynn pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine and entered an Alford plea to a charge of resisting arrest (in an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt, but acknowledges the prosecution has enough evidence to get a conviction).

In exchange for the guilty plea, the prosecuting attorney's office dismissed felony counts of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, receiving stolen property and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Judge David Mouton sentenced Flynn to seven years on the meth possession charge and four years for resisting arrest, then suspended both sentences and placed Flynn on supervised probation for five years.

(Note: The photo is taken from a 2019 arrest in Cherokee County, Kansas for probation violation.)