A Joplin dentist is sentenced for his role in a fatal hit-and-run accident.

 

54-year-old John H. Joseph the Second was sentenced to 12 months of probation for criminal interference in the investigation of the accident that killed 60-year-old Gary LaTurner of Galena. In August 2023, LaTurner was walking along K-66 west of Galena when he was struck and killed. Police say the driver of the vehicle was Rocco Joseph, John Joseph's son. The younger Joseph has also been charged in the case.

 

Authorities say John Joseph was charged because he returned with his son to the scene of the accident and then left again, without reporting the crash to police. The Cherokee County Attorney's Office state that while the Kansas Highway Patrol's investigation determined that the juvenile driver involved in the initial impact was not criminally liable for the collision itself, John Joseph's actions in the aftermath of the accident obstructed the investigative process and the driver’s duty to report, and warranted felony prosecution.

 

Rocco Joseph is scheduled for a hearing in his case on November 24.