A dentist in Missouri, who is also accused of participating in a drug deal near his dental office, entered a no-contest plea in relation to a 2023 fatal hit-and-run case, according to multiple news stories.
Dr. John “Jay” Joseph entered a no-contest plea for attempted interference with law enforcement. With a no-contest plea, a defendant accepts punishment for a crime without admitting guilt. Joseph neither admitted nor denied guilt, but chose not to fight the charges.
Joseph is expected to be sentenced in 2025.
In the fall of 2024, Joseph and his teenage son, Rocco Joseph, pleaded not guilty for their alleged roles in a hit-and-run accident that killed 60-year-old Gary LaTurner in Kansas. Both were charged with leaving the scene of a fatality accident, and the elder was also charged with contributing to a child's misconduct or deprivations.
The teenager's vehicle allegedly struck LaTurner, of Galena, KS, at about 11:30 p.m. on August 19, 2023, and didn't stop. The father and son allegedly returned to the scene about 40 minutes later. Authorities claim video from a business near the accident site revealed that the dentist returned to the scene of the crash, illuminated LaTurner with the headlights of his truck, and left without contacting police.
Authorities stated that LaTurner was still alive when Joseph returned to the scene. The coroner reported that LaTurner died about eight hours after the father and son left the scene. LaTurner's body was found in a ditch the next day.
In September, a judge issued a temporary injunction, resulting in the closure of Joseph's practice. The injunction was effective September 21.
In June, Joseph pleaded not guilty to allegedly buying hundreds of dollars’ worth of fentanyl across the street from his dental practice. When Joseph, who operates a practice in Joplin, MO, was arrested for the drug deal, he was allegedly in possession of a stolen 9-mm handgun.
Police searched Joseph and purportedly found a package containing 11 g of fentanyl in his pocket. A search of the truck recovered 1 g of fentanyl, multiple types of drug paraphernalia consistent with fentanyl ingestion, and a 9-mm handgun.
Joseph allegedly told police that he paid $600 in exchange for the package of fentanyl. Police learned later that the gun Joseph had in his truck had been reported stolen from a home in Joplin.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
