New charges filed in fatal 2023 Galena hit-and-run

Prosecutors filed new charges in a hit-and-run crash that left a Galena man dead last year.

The charges are against 54-year-old Doctor John Joseph II, a Joplin dentist. He’s charged with two felony counts relating to the hit-and-run death of Gary Laturner, 60, on Aug. 19 of last year.

Laturner died after being struck by a pickup truck as he was walking along Route 66 just outside of Galena.

The Kansas Highway Patrol originally listed Joseph’s son, Rocco Joseph Bazzano, as the truck driver who hit Laturner.

Bazzano was charged in February as a juvenile. He was 17 years old at the time of the crash.

Court documents filed say Joseph was the driver of the pickup. Bazzano is listed as a witness on court records.

Joseph is scheduled to be arraigned in Cherokee County Court on Oct. 7.

KSNF reached out to LaTurner’s family for comment. They say they “simply want justice for Gary.”

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