Oklahoma man pleads to misdemeanor in alleged assault of Joplin officers
Apr. 16—NEOSHO, Mo. — An Edmond, Oklahoma, man accused of becoming assaultive with Joplin police officers who arrested him Sept. 3 for trespassing has had his two most serious charges dismissed in a plea deal.
Josiah D. Riff, 31, pleaded guilty Monday in Newton County Circuit Court to a misdemeanor offense of trespassing in a plea agreement dismissing related felony counts of assaulting a special victim and resisting arrest.
Judge Jacob Skouby accepted the plea arrangement and sentenced Riff to 30 days in jail, with execution of the sentence suspended and the defendant placed on unsupervised probation for two years.
Joplin police were responding at the request of the Newton County Sheriff's Department to a trespassing complaint at an address outside the city where they contacted Riff who was ignoring an occupant's request that he leave the property.
Riff pulled away from officers as they were detaining him and tried to leave in his car. A probable-cause affidavit alleged that Riff kicked the officers, tore items off their vest and caused one officer to suffer an injury to a shoulder. The officer was placed temporarily on light duty following the incident.
Jeff Lehr is a reporter for The Joplin Globe.
