Joplin man charged with assault after pistol whipping Duquesne man, posting it on social media

The Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's office filed assault and armed criminal action charges today against a Joplin man who allegedly pistol whipped a man and then posted it on social media.

The alleged attack occurred following an argument Saturday at a Duquesne apartment between Noah Conley (DOB 2002) and his girlfriend's roommate, according to the probable cause statement.

The roommate told Duquesne Police that he displayed a knife because he felt threatened by Conley.

Noah then went outside and returned with a 9mm semi-auto pistol and admittedly pistol whipped Victim1 "hard as f--k with my gun." 

Victim1 asserts he'd already put the knife away once Noah went outside. Victim1 asserts he was struck repeatedly with the pistol, kicked in the face, and had the pistol pointed at him repeatedly throughout the encounter despite being unarmed. 

Noah claims self defense but lied during my interview with him after I read him his rights. Noah claims he hit him once with the pistol and then dropped it to start punching and kicking him and never picked it up again during the assault. 

However, Noah pulled out his cell phone and recorded himself kicking Victim1 in the face and then standing over him while pointing the pistol at his head, taunting him, then posted it to social media. 

In the video, Victim1 was on his knees, bleeding from the face, with both hands held up with nothing in them, in a submissive non-threatening way. Witness1, the roommate, reports she does not remember seeing the knife after Noah reentered the apartment. Neither Noah, nor Witness1 called police to report this. 

Victim1 called from the hospital, where he required a CT scan, stitches behind his left ear, and had additional contusions on his head. 

Despite how the encounter may have started, I have probable cause to believe it turned into a knowing and unjustified attempt to cause physical injury to Victim1 by means of a deadly weapon used as a blunt force dangerous instrument, exhibited in and used in a threatening manner which made Victim1 feel as though he was at risk of serious injury or death.