Change of plea hearing set for Joplin man facing federal meth, weapons charges

A change of plea hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. December 3 in U. S. District Court in Springfield for Jock Odell Gray, 43, Joplin, who is charged with two counts of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of using a gun in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Gray was initially arrested by the Joplin Police Department October 15, 2024, accounting for half of the charges. A second arrest took place November 18, according to the indictment.

Gray's lengthy criminal history was detailed in a detention motion made by the U. S. Attorney's office.

The defendant’s criminal history spans more than two decades and demonstrates a pattern of criminal conduct that includes felony assaults with deadly and dangerous weapons, unlawful possession and use of firearms, possession of controlled substances, and resisting arrest.

He committed his first two felony convictions— which involved the possession of stolen vehicles—soon after his eighteenth birthday. The defendant is now 44 years of age and has no fewer than eight prior felony convictions.

Between 2009 and 2014, the defendant was charged with and convicted in three separate Oklahoma cases with committing weapons-related felonies, including assault and battery with a deadly weapon (see Lincoln County case number CF 2009-00229), assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (see Oklahoma County case number CF-2012-03438), and discharging a firearm into a dwelling (see Oklahoma County case number CF-2013-05533).

For his crimes, Oklahoma courts have imposed sentences on the defendant that range in kind from probation to imprisonment. These punishments have thus far failed to adequately deter the defendant from committing crimes, which have notably increased in relative severity despite law enforcement and judicial intervention. 

Unsurprisingly, the defendant’s criminal history includes past revocations of supervised probation and parole and evidences his inability or unwillingness to abide court-ordered conditions or to avail himself of community-based resources or other opportunities to address any underlying factors that may be contributing to his propensity to commit crimes.

The defendant’s history-alone is evidence that he has and will continue to seriously endanger the lives and wellbeing of those with whom he comes into contact.

As alleged in the six-count Indictment, the defendant was contacted by law enforcement and found to be in possession of methamphetamine and a firearm on two separate occasions—October 15, 2023, and November 19, 2023.

Arrest of the defendant on October 15, 2023

On October 15, 2023, the defendant was riding a bicycle in Joplin, Missouri, when he was contacted by a Joplin Police Department (JPD) officer, who determined the defendant had several outstanding failure-to-appear warrants for his arrest.

The defendant admitted to being in possession of a firearm and “dope,” which the officer confirmed upon searching a black, fanny pack, around the defendant’s waste. The firearm was a loaded Taurus G2c, 9mm handgun and contained a chambered round.

The defendant was ultimately found to be in possession of $875 cash and approximately 111 grams of a substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine. The defendant also possessed a cellphone that was seized and searched pursuant to a search warrant obtained by investigators with the Ozark Drug Enforcement Team (ODET).

Upon searching the device, investigators located conversations between the defendant and others discussing methamphetamine distribution. 

Arrest of the defendant on November 19, 2023

On November 19, 2023, the defendant was again riding a bicycle in the City of Joplin, Missouri, when he was contacted by a JPD officer and arrested for violating one or more city ordinances.

While at the Joplin City Jail, the defendant told investigators that he possessed two ounces of methamphetamine and a firearm inside a bag that he’d been carrying when he was taken into custody. The bag was searched and investigators located a loaded Taurus G3c, 9mm handgun containing a chambered round.

Additionally, investigators discovered what was ultimately determined to be three ounces of methamphetamine, three syringes, and a prescription bottle containing 60 white pills prescribed to another person.

During a post-Miranda interview, the defendant told ODET investigators that he purchased the Taurus G3c handgun and stated that he had been regularly purchasing approximately one-quarter pound of methamphetamine for $250 per ounce.