A Missouri dentist who was sentenced in November to one year of probation for his role in a 2023 fatal hit-and-run case and is accused of drug trafficking was indicted on a U.S. gun charge, according to multiple news stories.
Dr. John “Jay” Joseph was taken into U.S. custody after a grand jury indicted him on one count of unlawful transport of a firearm. He faces up to 15 years in prison. Calling him a threat to the community, prosecutors have asked that he be kept in custody until his next hearing, according to the stories.
The U.S. indictment is tied to the drug trafficking charges already filed against Joseph.
In June 2025, 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.
In November 2025, Joseph entered a no-contest plea for attempted interference with law enforcement in relation to the hit-and-run case. 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.
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 fatal 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 2025, a judge issued a temporary injunction, resulting in the closure of Joseph's practice. The injunction was effective September 21.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
