Probable cause: Joplin men fired AR-15, pistol into moving vehicle

(Editor's note: When I published this post Tuesday, I had not come across the case file for the other person who was allegedly involved in this incident.)

The Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's office filed felony charges today against two Joplin men who allegedly fired weapons, including an AR-15, at two people as they were trying to get away from them Friday.

Trevin Dicks (DOB 2002) and Ross Donald Bush (DOB 2003) were each charged with assault, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action.

From the probable cause statement for Dicks:

When I arrived, I contacted Victim 1 and Witness 1. Witness 1 explained he was in a vehicle with victim 1 traveling to a home near Carthage Missouri where they had been invited by Witness 3. Witness 1 stated when they arrived at the residence, they exchanged words with Trevin Dicks who proceeded to retrieve an AR15-style firearm from his own vehicle. 

Witness 1 stated Trevin proceeded to charge/load the weapon using the charging handle. Witness 1 stated he quickly put the vehicle in reverse and attempted to flee, and explained Trevin fired multiple rounds into the vehicle while they fled. No one was injured. 

Witness 1 handed me a spent bullet which he stated ended up in the lap of Witness 2 who was in the front passenger seat. 

Victim 1 stated she was in the back seat of the vehicle when the incident occurred. Upon examination of the vehicle, two bullet holes were found in the rear driver-side fender, as well as a bullet hole in the top left corner of the trunk. 

The rear windshield of the vehicle was completely shattered, and the front windshield appeared to have been impacted by a bullet from the inside. The middle section of the back seat had two bullet holes just inches from where Victim 1 would have been seated. 

At the incident location, five spent 9mm shell casings were recovered, as well as one fired lead and copper projectile. Fluids that had leaked from Victim 1’s vehicle were observed leading from the driveway to the roadway. Victim 1 is a juvenile and her guardians were contacted and wanted to press charges for the incident.

Bush's probable cause statement notes Dicks took an AR-15-Style firearm out of his vehicle, then went into the house and returned with Bush.

Ross Bush then proceeded to charge/load a round into a pistol and held it at witness 2’s side of the vehicle door. Witness 1 stated he quickly put the vehicle in reverse and attempted to flee, and explained multiple rounds were fired into the vehicle while they fled. 

Online Wright County records indicate Dicks pleaded guilty in 2019 to a felony assault charge, was sentenced to six years, but the sentence was suspended. One of the stipulations was that Dicks complete an anger management class.

On October 17, 2019, the Joplin Police Department arrested Dicks and another man for robbery and kidnapping.

From the Joplin Police Department news release:

The victim advised he was driven to a central location in the city and then held at gunpoint and taserpoint.

The suspects then assaulted him while forcing him to take his clothes off. The suspects then took the victim's belongings including money and left. Detectives with the Joplin Police Department opened an investigation into the reported robbery.

Through the investigation it was found that the suspects in the crime recorded parts of the incident, then shared footage on a social media site.

Dicks pleaded guilty to the robbery and kidnapping charges in Jasper County Circuit Court and was sentenced to 10 years. Under a plea bargain agreement with the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's office, Dicks was placed in an institutional treatment center for 120 days and then was released and placed on probation.

On July 30, 2020, less than two months after Dicks was freed, a probation violation report was filed and Judge David Mouton ordered a warrant for his arrest and set bond at $50,000.

Dicks failed to show for an August 5, 2020 hearing and Mouton revoked his bond, issued a warrant and set a new bond at $100,000 cash or surety.

Dicks was a no-show at an August 31 hearing and Mouton revoked his bond again, issued a warrant and set the new bond at $100,000 cash or surety, according to online court records.

On September 3, Mouton received a doctor's note from Dicks, withdrew all warrants and canceled a bond forfeiture hearing.

Dicks showed for an October 5, 2020, hearing in which the probation violation notice was officially read. Dicks did not have a lawyer, so public defender forms were provided to him and a December 14 hearing was scheduled on the violation.

Dicks still had no lawyer December 14, so Mouton gave him some more public defender forms and rescheduled the hearing for February 1, 2021.

Before that hearing could take place, another probation violation report was filed January 19, 2021.

When the February 1 hearing took place, Joplin attorney Jared Stilley represented Dicks, who was unable to be there because he had COVID according to court files. The next hearing was scheduled for April 12, 2021.

At the April 12 hearing with Dicks and Stilley both present, Mouton ordered that Dicks remain on probation without any modification or extension.

The third and fourth probation violation reports against Dicks were filed November 10 and December 13, 2021. On December 15, Mouton issued a warrant for Dicks' arrest and set bond at $50,000. The next day, Stilley withdrew as Dicks' attorney.

Stilley changed his mind December 29 and filed a notice of appearance on behalf of Dicks.

The warrant was served on Dicks April 11, 2022 and the next hearing was held by video with Dicks in the Jasper County Jail. An evidentiary hearing on Dicks' alleged violations was scheduled for June 27, 2022 and was later rescheduled for July 25.

Dicks, out of the Jasper County Jail by this time, failed to show for the July 25 hearing. Mouton continued the hearing to August 22 and said Dicks needed to appear or he would issue a warrant. Dicks was at the August 22 hearing. Mouton scheduled the probation violation for November 14, 2022.

Meanwhile, probation violation reports were filed against Dix September 8, September 28 and October 17.

On October 30, 2022, Mouton reviewed the violation reports, found probable cause Dicks had violated four provisions of his probation, issued a warrant for his arrest and set bond at $100,000.

Dicks was arrested, put back in the Jasper County Jail. Stilley once again withdrew as his attorney. A hearing was held December 6 and Dicks had no attorney. Mouton scheduled a hearing for January 9, 2023, at which time Dicks was represented by public defender Craig Lowe and Mouton continued the hearing to January 17.

When the 17th arrived, Mouton overruled Lowe's motion to set a bond for his client, but no probation violation hearing was held. When the next hearing was held January 31, public defender Hunter Altic was representing Dicks and Mouton continued the violation hearing to February 21.

At the next hearing, Mouton scheduled an evidentiary hearing for April 10. Dicks was still in jail. No hearing was held that day after Dicks told the court he intended to hire a private attorney.

On May 1, attorney Jonathan Pierce represented Dicks. No hearing was held but Mouton modified Dicks' bond to $100,000 cash or surety.

Dicks' latest bout with freedom only last four days before another probation violation report was filed.

When the next probation violation hearing was held July 10, 2023, Dicks was nowhere in sight. Mouton issued a warrant and set bond at $200,000 cash or surety.

Dicks was back in jail August 8, 2023.

On September 11, Dicks admitted to the court he had committed two violations of his probation. Taking a new, get-tough stance Mouton revoked Dicks' probation and sentenced him to 120 days in the county jail, then gave him credit for 222 days served and placed him on a new probation, according to online court records.

 Dicks was on his new probation when he allegedly fired the AR-15 at two people Friday night.