Joplin dentist bound over for trial on drug trafficking, weapons charges

Dr. John Joseph, 54, Joplin, waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday in Newton County Circuit Court and was bound over for trial on drug trafficking and unlawful use of a weapon charges.

Joseph will be arraigned before Judge Charles Genisio 9 a.m. June 30.

The Joplin Police Department arrested Joseph March 5 after detectives saw him make what is described in the probable cause statement as "a hand-to-hand narcotic transaction after getting out of a pickup truck."

From the probable cause statement:

Joseph was detained after getting back into his truck and searched. During the search, a large package of a substance, believed to be fentanyl, was located in his pocket. This package was later found to weigh 11 grams.

A search was then conducted of Joseph's 2022 Ram pickup truck where I located approximately one gram of fentanyl, multiple items of drug paraphernalia consistent with the ingestion of fentanyl and an H&K 9mm pistol.

Joseph stated under Miranda that he provided $600 for {the} package located in his pocket.

The H&K pistol was later found to have been reported as stolen from a residence in Joplin in 2016.

Joseph also faces felony charges in Cherokee County for leaving the scene of the August 19, 2023 crash that killed Gary LaTurner, 60, Galena, and for contributing to a child's misconduct for allegedly helping his son, Rocco Joseph, after the younger Joseph's vehicle hit LaTurner leading to his death.

The Turner Report: Court document: Details offered on how John Joseph's alleged fentanyl deal went down