Joplin Police arrest man for car theft after suspicious vehicle report from 7th Street Wal-Mart

(From the Joplin Police Department)

Incident Spotlight

Yesterday morning at 9:46 a.m. we responded to West 7th Street Wal-Mart for a suspicious vehicle.

We were notified of a Nissan Versa parked between shipping containers on the back of the lot with front end damage and a broken windshield. Officers arrived and determined the vehicle was reported stolen out of Reynolds County, Missouri. The vehicle was processed and recovered. Security video revealed a suspect parking the vehicle and walking away at about 9:25 a.m. the same morning. That suspect’s clothing description was put out to other officers on duty. 

Over three hours later, at 12:36 p.m. an officer on patrol at Perkins and Murphy Blvd. saw the suspect walking, wearing the same clothes. He was contacted and identified as the male who had hid the stolen vehicle. He was arrested for felony charges related to the stolen car.