KC-area school administrator pleads guilty in drunken resort bar break-in
The assistant superintendent for Harrisonville schools, who was charged last month after he broke into a Lake of the Ozarks resort bar in his underwear, has pleaded guilty.
Joseph Ray Parkhurst appeared in Camden County Circuit Court Thursday morning and entered into a plea agreement involving two misdemeanor charges of trespassing and property damage from the incident last month. He was sentenced to two years probation which will be tracked by MOCAM (Missouri Court Appointed Monitor), court records show.
An associate circuit judge also ordered Parkhurst to serve 40 hours of community service in the next 12 months, with at least four hours completed per month.
The Harrisonville School District’s website lists Parkhurst as the district’s assistant superintendent of human resources and operations, a position he’s held since July 2023, according to a resume listed on his personal website.
At the time of his arrest, it’s believed Parkhurst was attending the Missouri Association of School Administrators Conference held at the Margaritaville Lake Resort at Lake of the Ozarks. According to social media, Harrisonville’s Superintendent, Josh Chastain, was honored at the conference on March 18 as an Emerging Superintendent.
An email sent to a spokesperson for Harrisonville public schools regarding Parkhurst’s guilty plea and sentencing was not immediately returned.
A probable cause statement filed on March 18 said sheriff’s deputies in Camden County responded to the LandShark Bar & Grill at the resort just after 2 a.m. Staff reported that Parkhurst had allegedly broken into the building and caused what they estimated to be more than $750 worth of damage.
Bar employees said earlier in the evening, Parkhurst was intoxicated, in his underwear and asleep at the bar before security escorted him out at 1:45 a.m., the affidavit said.
According to its website, the bar typically closes at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. The alleged incident occurred on a Wednesday. Investigators believe that as the bar was closing, Parkhurst either hid somewhere in the establishment, or re-entered through a door and latched it behind him, the affidavit said.
Multiple used plastic cups, allegedly used by Parkhurst, were found in the bar, along with “half served pitchers of beer,” a broken margarita mix and empty beer cans, according to the affidavit. Also found were broken beer taps, a “knocked over” computer and turned on TV.
Deputies allege that when they attempted to speak with Parkhurst, they noticed a landline phone broken off a wall, a damaged light cover and a displaced roof tile.
At the time of his arrest, the probable cause statement said that the assistant superintendent had a blood alcohol content of 0.164.
As part of his probation, court records show that Parkhurst “shall not bother, harrass, abuse” or be on the property of Margaritaville and LandShark Bar.
