Ozark, MO – Christian County Prosecuting Attorney, Amy J. Fite announced today that KARENA D. SMITH, dob: 09/11/1992 of Tunas, Missouri plead guilty to the class B felony of involuntary manslaughter in the 1^st degree and two class C felonies of assault in the second degree. The case was set to go to trial today in Christian County in front of Christian County Circuit Judge Mark Orr. The defendant announced her desire to plead guilty and did so on Friday November 2, 2012. The plea was without a plea agreement with the State other than the sentences for each count would run concurrent with each other.

KARENA D. SMITH plead guilty to driving while intoxicated while driving a car on May 31, 2010 and being criminally negligent when she failed to yield to oncoming traffic which caused another vehicle to hit hers. In the wreck, one of her passengers was killed and another physically injured. The driver of the other vehicle was also physically injured. SMITH had a blood alcohol content of .191. The legal limit is .08.

Formal sentencing is set for January 11, 2013. Prior to sentencing, a sentencing sentence report will be prepared by the Missouri Department of Corrections. The class B felony of involuntary manslaughter in the first degree carries a range of punishment of five (5) year to fifteen (15) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.  Each class C felony of assault in the second degree carries a range of punishment of one (1) day to one (1) year in the Christian County Jail or one (1) year to seven (7) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections and/or a fine not to exceed five thousand (5,000) dollars.

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Ozark, MO – Christian County Prosecuting Attorney, Amy J. Fite announced today that JEFFERY DENTON, dob: 11/22/1967 of Conway, Missouri was found guilty by a jury of the class C felony of stealing and the class C felony of passing a bad check. The case went to trial beginning on October 22, 2012 and the jury returned a verdict on October 23, 2012. The jury also recommended that Denton be sentenced to six years in the Missouri Depart of Correction on each count. 1^st Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Donovan Dobbs represented the State.

JEFFERY DENTON was found guilty of giving a check on a closed account to purchase a home in Nixa on September 7, 2007. The account had been closed since 2005. Denton then remained in the home without paying anything until March of 2008. The owner of the home testified that Mr. Denton kept giving different deadlines as to when he would make payments but that each deadline passed without payment.

The defendant was charged on April 9, 2008.  The defendant failed to appear in September of 2009 and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested on the warrant in February of 2011.  Since 2011 the State prepared for trial on several occasions; however, the case was unable to be tried due to more serious cases taking precedent on the limited jury trial docket.

Formal sentencing is set for January 4, 2013. Prior to sentencing, a sentencing sentence report will be prepared by the Missouri Department of Corrections. The class C felony of stealing and passing a bad check carries a range of punishment of one (1) day to one (1) year in the Christian County Jail or one (1) year to seven (7) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections and/or a fine not to exceed five thousand (5,000) dollars.

OZARK, MO – The Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced today that on September 7, 2012 James J. France; dob: 9/3/1973 formerly of Strafford, Missouri was sentenced by the Honorable Judge Mark Orr to fifteen (15) years in the Department of Corrections. On May 23, 2012, in front of the Honorable Judge Orr, a bench trial was started. Following the victim testifying, the defendant, James J. France, opted instead to enter a plea of guilty to one count of Statutory Sodomy in the First Degree of a child less than 12 for events occurring between June 21, 2003 and June 20, 2006 pursuant to a plea agreement with the State to cap any sentence in the Missouri Department of Corrections at fifteen (15) years. The range of punishment for Statutory Sodomy in the First Degree of a child less than 12 is life imprisonment or a term of years not less than ten years. Currently, for this type of charge the Department of Corrections calculates a life sentence as 30 years. This is a charge that requires a defendant serve 85% of the sentence before being eligible for parole. This charge also includes lifetime registration as sex offender and lifetime GPS monitoring.
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Christian County – Prosecuting Attorney Amy Fite announces that on Monday July 23, 2012 Kristen Tuohy joined the Prosecuting Attorney’s as a First Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.  Ms. Tuohy received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from University of Missouri in 1999. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri School of Law in 2003. Prior to joining the Christian County Prosecutor’s Office, Ms. Tuohy served as a Senior Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office specializing in serious drug offenses. Kristen also worked as an Assistant Attorney General, an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney with the Newton County Prosecutor’s Office and as an Assistant Public Defender.

Ms. Tuohy in her current duties will carry a felony caseload as well as supervise another assistant prosecuting attorney as well as two legal assistants and a victim advocate.  Further, Ms. Tuohy will act as the intern coordinator.  She will work to bring both volunteer legal interns as well as volunteer college interns through the Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.  Ms. Tuohy is filling the vacancy created when Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Ben Miller had the opportunity to join the Missouri Office of Prosecution Services and is now serving as the Technology/Automation Resource Prosecutor for the State of Missouri.

Mr. Miller’s new position includes coordinating efforts statewide to improve criminal history reporting by prosecutors; overseeing the installation and maintenance of the Karpel Case Management System in prosecutors’ offices, and serving as a resource and trainer for prosecutors and their staff across Missouri regarding issues relating to technology and automation.

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The Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced today that on July 20, 2012, STEVEN YOUNGBLOOD DOB: 7/13/1985 of Reeds Spring, Missouri plead guilty to and was sentenced for the class A felony of Robbery 1st Degree and the unclassified felony of Armed Criminal Action pursuant to a plea agreement that defendant would receive a cap of 25 years on each count concurrent in the Missouri Department of Corrections. On July 20, 2012 defendant was sentenced on each count as a prior and persistent offender by the Honorable Judge Mark Orr to twenty-five (25) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

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