A Joplin man who pleaded guilty to stabbing another man in the parking lot of the Greene County courthouse in 2020 was sentenced to eight years in prison Friday afternoon.
Caleb Wiles, 36, was given five years for the Class B felony of first-degree assault and three years for the unclassified felony of armed criminal action with the sentences to be served consecutively.
At the sentencing hearing in Springfield, Greene County Circuit Judge Jerry Harmison said he was persuaded, in part, to not give a maximum sentence in this case because Wiles had no real criminal history before the incident.
“For lack of a better term, I think you are salvageable,” Harmison said to Wiles.
Harmison said the sentencing decision was especially difficult because he understands both the prosecutor's and the defense attorney’s arguments.
“It could have been very serious,” the judge said. “It could have resulted in another human’s death. [...] At the end of the day, there was no serious injury.”
What happened?
According to court documents, the stabbing happened on the morning of Dec. 12, 2020, a Saturday when the courthouse at 1010 N. Boonville Ave. was closed.
At Wiles' sentencing, Greene County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Conor Browne played a 911 call Wiles made just seconds the assault started. Wiles placed the call as he was driving south on Boonville Avenue, chasing his then-wife, April Wiles, who was in a vehicle driven by the stabbing victim, identified in court documents as L.R.
Wiles told the 911 operator he needed to speak with police because, “I’m about to kill a guy.” A commotion and yelling can then be heard on the recording, including Wiles saying something about, “stealing my wife.” The victim can be heard saying, “You stabbed me.”
Browne also played a video from the Greene County Judicial Court Facility's security cameras that show a silver car pulling into the parking lot and parking by the courthouse’s main entrance. Wiles' black car followed close behind the silver car and parked next to it. People can be seen exiting the vehicles and getting into a physical struggle.
L.R., the stabbing victim, and April Wiles did not come to court Friday to give impact statements at Wiles' hearing.
According to court documents, L.R. told investigators he and April Wiles and two other people were in L.R.’s vehicle at the Fairview Inn in north Springfield that morning when Caleb Wiles pulled into the parking lot. April Wiles told L.R. to drive away, and Caleb Wiles followed them. At an intersection, Caleb Wiles drove his car into the rear of L.R.’s vehicle.
L.R. told investigators he decided to drive to the Greene County courthouse because he thought that is where the police department was located.
Once in the parking lot, April Wiles got out of the car and pounded on the courthouse door. Caleb Wiles got out of his car. L.R. told investigators that he believed Caleb Wiles would assault April Wiles, so L.R. approached Caleb Wiles and tried to calm him. At that point, Caleb Wiles pulled a knife with an 8-inch blade out of his coat and stabbed L.R. in the arm.
Police officers soon arrived on the scene. Caleb Wiles did not immediately comply with commands, and so police officers used a TASER to subdue him.
Prosecutor: assault was ‘a choice and part of a deliberate plan’
Browne, the prosecutor, argued that Wiles chasing the victims from the apartment complex in north Springfield to the the courthouse parking lot and continuing the assault shows Caleb Wiles had “gone far beyond some sort of sudden passion…
“That was a choice and part of a deliberate plan,” Browne said. “If things had gone differently, (Wiles) could be looking at murder in the second degree.”
Branden Twibell, Wiles’ defense attorney, spoke about Wiles having no real criminal history other than a misdemeanor peace disturbance charge from 2011.
Twibell called the stabbing a “very serious isolated incident.”
Harmison thanked members of Wiles' family — who filled up three rows of seats in the courtroom gallery — for coming to the hearing to show support. Harmison encouraged them to continue to support Wiles when he is released from prison in a few years.
The judge then allowed the handcuffed Wiles to be hugged by his kids and family members before he was taken to jail. Wiles awaits transfer to a Missouri Department of Corrections prison.
