Defendant draws 15-year sentence for Joplin shooting incident

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

Mar. 9—A judge sentenced a 24-year-old defendant to 15 years in prison Monday for chasing and shooting at the occupants of another vehicle with a shotgun a year ago in Joplin.

Circuit Judge Gayle Crane assessed Zachary F. Tallie, of Joplin, concurrent terms of 15 years for unlawful use of a weapon and seven years for first-degree child endangerment at a sentencing hearing in Jasper County Circuit Court. Tallie must serve all 15 years without any chance of parole on the weapon count.

The defendant had pleaded guilty to the charges Dec. 14 in a plea agreement dismissing two counts of first-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action that he also had been facing. The plea deal called for the length of terms assessed on the convictions.

A probable-cause affidavit filed with the charges states that the defendant was a passenger in a vehicle driven by his girlfriend on Feb. 27, 2020, when they began following and shooting at another vehicle on Lone Elm Avenue near Hickory Hills Drive.

Tallie leaned out of a window and fired a shotgun loaded with birdshot several times at the car occupied by Eric Smith and a 16-year-old victim, according to the affidavit.

They purportedly continued the chase with Tallie shooting at the vehicle for about 20 minutes until the other vehicle reached the home of the juvenile and ran inside the house to escape harm.

The birdshot riddled the fleeing car's trunk and bumper, according to the affidavit.