Prosecution of Joplin father's child neglect charge deferred
May 6—NEOSHO, Mo. — The Newton County prosecutor's office has deferred prosecution of a Joplin man's felony child neglect charge for a year.
Dakotah E. Allen, 33, received the deferral at a hearing last week in Newton County Circuit Court. A dismissal hearing was set for April 30, 2025.
The charge stemmed from an incident Oct. 23, 2022, when one of Allen's four children contacted their mother and informed her that he was drunk and passed out while he was supposed to be watching the children at their home on the south side of Joplin, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
A responding officer purportedly found Allen in an intoxicated state and in alleged possession of marijuana inside a house "cluttered with spoiled food, garbage, filth and other debris," according to the affidavit.
