Joplin man charged after police pursuit weaves down Range Line
A man from Joplin faces numerous charges after a police pursuit went down Range Line Road Monday morning.
It all began in Webb City, when officers were dispatched in reference to a stolen vehicle.
The caller was tracking the location of the stolen Jeep Cherokee through a mobile app.
Officers arrived in the area and located the SUV in a field off the roadway occupied by an unknown white male, later identified as 35-year-old Jimmy Dale Smith Jr.
As officers approached the Jeep, Smith drove at a high rate of speed toward the officers, circled through the field, drove toward the Officers again, then went through fields and trees before exiting onto Fountain Road just east of Hall Street.
Webb City Police Officers, Jasper County Deputies, and Joplin Police Officers pursued the stolen Jeep through Webb City and into Joplin where the pursuit ended in the Lowe’s parking lot.
Smith was transported to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Jail in Carthage where he is being held pending the filing of formal charges with the Jasper County Prosecutor’s Office.
The following charges have been sent to the Jasper County Prosecutor’s Office:
- Felony Tampering with a Motor Vehicle – first degree
- Felony Assault of a Law Enforcement Officer – second degree (x3)
- Felony Resisting Arrest by Flight
- Felony Trafficking a Controlled Substance (fentanyl)
- Felony Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
- Felony Possession of Stolen Property (credit card)
- Felony Possession of an Illegal Weapon
- Felony Property Damage (x2)
- Multiple traffic violation