Joplin woman pleads down to misdemeanors in assault case

May 6—A 24-year-old Joplin woman received a suspended sentence and probation when she took a plea offer this week and avoided trial on a felony assault count and a drunken driving charge.

I'dalis K. Ford pleaded guilty Monday to a reduced count of misdemeanor assault and a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated in a plea agreement. She had been scheduled to go to trial later this month on the drunken driving charge and a felony count of third-degree assault.

Circuit Judge David Mouton accepted the plea deal and assessed Ford six months in jail for the assault conviction but suspended execution of the sentence and placed her on supervised probation for two years. The judge also fined her $500 for driving while intoxicated.

Ford initially faced a count of first-degree assault as well from two Aug. 16, 2019, incidents in Joplin.

The first-degree assault count stemmed from an alleged assault of a woman who was the victim of a burglary in 2017. The probable-cause affidavit filed in the case accused Ford of assaulting her in an effort to keep her from pursuing charges on the burglary. That charge was dismissed for a lack of evidence before a preliminary hearing in June 2020.

The lesser assault count pertained to an attempt to run over another woman with a vehicle, according to the affidavit. Ford was driving with a blood-alcohol level in excess of the legal limit at the time, according to the affidavit.