A 28-year-old Joplin man entered an Alford plea Friday to felony assault charges stemming from a drunken-driving accident in Joplin that injured two people. Blake E. Fitzgerald entered the plea to two counts of second-degree assault at a hearing in Jasper County Circuit Court in Joplin. An Alford plea admits no guilt but acknowledges the likelihood of a conviction if the matter were to proceed to trial.