Mar. 4—NEOSHO, Mo. — A Newton County judge ordered a Joplin man bound over for trial after he waived a preliminary hearing Monday on a drug trafficking charge.

Eric M. Barnard, 42, waived the hearing in Newton County Circuit Court on a charge of first-degree trafficking in drugs. A hearing date has yet to be set for his initial appearance in a trial division of the court.

The charge pertains to a traffic stop conducted by a sheriff’s deputy July 9 near the intersection of Apricot and Coyote drives in Newton County.

A probable-cause affidavit alleges that Barnard, a passenger in the vehicle, was detained on outstanding warrants and that a probable-cause search of the vehicle turned up 106 grams of suspected methamphetamine, a digital scale and some plastic baggies in the truck.

Jeff Lehr is a reporter for The Joplin Globe.