Two defendants waived preliminary hearings Thursday in Jasper County Circuit Court on charges of trafficking in stolen identities.
Frederick E. Phillips, 36, listed as homeless in Joplin, waived his hearing on counts of trafficking in stolen identities and unlawful possession of a firearm, and was ordered to stand trial. Associate Judge Joseph Hensley set his initial appearance in a trial division on July 24.
The charges pertain to an arrest made April 16 by a Joplin police officer who was looking for a suspect in another crime when he spotted Phillips and mistook him for the suspect. As he was detaining Phillips, a hypodermic needle fell out of a bag Phillips was carrying, police say.
A probable-cause affidavit states that the officer subsequently learned Phillips’ actual identity and that he had several outstanding warrants issued in other states. The officer also purportedly found a handgun and identification and credit cards belonging to seven other people in the defendant’s possession.
In a separate case related to a traffic stop Feb. 20 by police in Carterville, Rikki N. Mull, 32, of Jay, Oklahoma, waived a hearing on a count of trafficking in stolen identities.
Stopped for a lane violation, Mull’s nervousness led to a search of her vehicle that turned up identification belonging to five other people, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
A date for the initial appearance of Mull in a trial division of the court had not been set by late Thursday afternoon.
Jeff Lehr is a reporter for The Joplin Globe.