(AP) – A Newton County judge has sentenced a Neosho man to three
years in prison for leaving the scene of a 2015 traffic accident that killed a
19-year-old man.
The Joplin Globe reports that Circuit Judge Tim Perigo sentenced 62-year-old
Oren R. Rinehart on Tuesday. A jury recommended the prison term after finding
Rinehart guilty in the hit-and-run case in November.
Neosho police found the body of Matthew Stevens in the roadway around 1 a.m.
on Sept. 12, 2015. An autopsy determined his injuries were a result of having
been struck from behind.
Five days later, a Neosho attorney contacted the prosecutor’s office saying he
had a client who believed he may have been responsible for the accident.
Rinehart was arrested at a meeting with an assistant prosecutor and police.
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