Two in custody on drug, firearm charges

Two area men are facing several charges after they were arrested in a Wal-Mart Parking lot Friday morning. Read the full press release below:

This morning at 2:31am a Joplin Police Officer pulled through the West 7th Street Wal-Mart Parking lot. She recognized a male walking out from the store to be Freddie Tilton. Area Law Enforcement had been seeking Tilton for a Jasper County Warrant for 1st Degree Assault with a $50,000 cash only bond.

The officer contacted Tilton as he approached a vehicle on the lot that also had a passenger in it. The passenger discarded a bag of meth in the officer’s presence and gave a false name. Based on those observations and the use of a JPD Police K9, 32 grams of meth and a loaded handgun were also located in the vehicle.  More than $1,700 in cash was also seized from Tilton as suspected drug sales proceeds.

Freddie L. Tilton, 45, Joplin, was arrested on his first-degree assault warrant, possession
with intent to distribute a controlled substance and felon in possession of a firearm. The
passenger, Jason W. Price, 37, Carl Junction, was arrested for possession of a controlled
substance and felon in possession of a firearm. All charges have been submitted to the Jasper
County Prosecutor’s Office.