Assault charges dismissed in Joplin child custody case

Jeff Lehr, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·2 min read

Sep. 28—The Jasper County prosecutor's office has dismissed charges on a man accused of forcibly taking his preschool age son away from the child's grandmother a year ago in Joplin.

Savon M. Watts, 30, had been scheduled to go to trial this week in Jasper County Circuit Court on charges of first-degree assault, burglary and interference with custody.

Jasper County Prosecutor Theresa Kenney said Watts' charges were dismissed when information obtained during pretrial depositions raised questions about the defendant's culpability.

Watts and co-defendant Ajuann L. Parks, 26, were accused of forcibly taking 3-year-old Markwayne Watts from Maria Maturino, the child's maternal grandmother, who had legal custody of the boy, on Aug. 28, 2021.

At a preliminary hearing last year, Maturino said Watts came to her home, and the boy met him at her door. Watts asked if he wanted to go to the park, and as the boy took a step or two forward, he swept him up and took him to his car.

Maturino told the court that she tried to stop him from leaving with the child by climbing in the vehicle and that Parks pulled her back out, injuring her foot in the process. While a probable-cause affidavit filed in the case stated that Parks threw her to the ground and that the vehicle then struck her foot, she did not clearly state at the hearing that Parks had thrown her to the ground.

Both Watts and Parks were ordered to stand trial at the conclusion of the hearing, and Parks remains charged with third-degree assault and a misdemeanor count of interference with custody, although her attorney questioned whether Parks knew at the time that the grandmother had legal custody of the child.

Kenney indicated Tuesday that her office would be reviewing the charges against Parks as well in light of the information that came out during pretrial depositions.