Arkansas man granted probation in Joplin home burglary case
Apr. 13—A Jasper County judge Monday granted a 20-year-old Arkansas man probation with a hefty order of restitution in a 2019 Joplin home burglary case.
Circuit Judge Dean Dankelson granted Robert D. Bates, of Gravette, Arkansas, a suspended imposition of sentence with five years of supervised probation on a conviction for second-degree burglary.
Bates had pleaded guilty to the charge Feb. 22 in a deal dismissing a related count of second-degree robbery and promising that the state would not oppose the possibility of a suspended sentence.
According to court documents, on July 9, 2019, Bates entered the home of Adam Grover in the 1800 block of South Indiana Avenue with an unidentified accomplice. The pair were attempting to make off with $3,500, a video game system and a small amount of marijuana from the residence when Grover returned home and tried to stop them by reaching through the window of their truck and shifting it into park, according to the affidavit.
Bates reacted by getting out of the truck and attacking Grover. As he did so, his accomplice drove off with the cash and video game system. Joplin police arrived on the scene at that point and arrested Bates, who purportedly had the stolen marijuana on his person.
The judge ordered Bates to pay $6,475 in restitution jointly with any co-defendant convicted of the crime.
Jeff Lehr is a reporter for The Joplin Globe.
