Homeless man's stolen identities charge dismissed
Apr. 12—The Jasper County prosecutor's office dismissed a stolen identities charge on a defendant who purportedly had four debit or credit cards and other identification belonging to another person while being booked into the Joplin City Jail on a couple of misdemeanors.
Michael P. Robinson, 45, was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday in Jasper County Circuit Court on a felony count of trafficking in stolen identities. The hearing was scuttled when the prosecutor's office announced that the case was being dismissed due to a lack of cooperation on the part of the alleged victim.
Robinson, who is listed as homeless on court records, was arrested by Joplin police on Nov. 16, 2022, following an alleged shoplifting incident at the Walmart store on West Seventh Street. A probable-cause affidavit states that he had about $82 worth of store merchandise concealed on his person, along with a used syringe, when stopped by Walmart security personnel.
During booking at the jail, a wallet purportedly was found in his possession containing the driver's license, Social Security and insurance cards, and credit and debit cards of another person. Robinson told police he had come upon the wallet about a week previously and was still in the process of trying to return it to its owner, according to the affidavit.
