NEOSHO, MO : Guilty plea entered in drunken-driving accident case on Monday, March 20th 2017

A Joplin man pleaded guilty Monday to an assault charge related to an injury accident two years ago.

Harley N. Hill, 22, pleaded guilty in Newton County Circuit Court to second-degree assault by operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated in an injury accident. The defendant's plea deal with the Newton County prosecutor's office calls for a five-year sentence under the state's shock incarceration program with a court review after 120 days for possible placement on probation.

Circuit Judge Tim Perigo ordered a sentencing assessment and set Hill's sentencing hearing for June 5.

Hill was involved in a two-vehicle accident March 29, 2015, on Interstate 44 in Joplin that injured the other driver, Christina Covert. A probable-cause affidavit states that he smelled of alcohol, admitted to the police officer who responded to the accident that he had been drinking and showed signs of impairment during field sobriety tests.

Source :
Guilty plea entered in drunken-driving accident case