The Jasper County prosecutor’s office is attempting to have a man involuntarily medicated so he can stand trial in court.
The Jasper County prosecutor’s office is attempting to have a defendant involuntarily medicated with psychotropic drugs so that he can stand trial on charges that stem from a shooting spree that took place four years ago in Joplin that injured 5 people. Tom Mourning Jr, 30, retains the charges of first-degree assault, five counts of armed criminal action and three counts of unlawful use of a weapon from an incident that took place on August 13th. In that incident, he allegedly left the home, which he shared with his father, and shot into a pickup truck and church van. The individual has since been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The Jasper County prosecutor’s office filed a motion in June to have the defendant medicated involuntarily so he could be present for his trial. When on medication in 2017, both sides had agreed that he was competent to assist in his own defense. He has since stopped taking that medication. Department of Mental Health doctors believe that the defendant is not currently competent to stand trial. At a hearing Tuesday, Circuit Judge Gayle Crane took the motion under advisement and granted public defender Darren Wallace a period of time to file a response to the state’s arguments. Mourning’s attorney filed a notice to rely on a defense of mental disease or defect.