Arkansas man waives hearing on weapon charge

May 20—A 60-year-old man from Arkansas has been ordered to stand trial on a charge that he threatened an employee of a Walmart store in Joplin with a knife.

Lonnie B. Dobbs, of Clarksville, Arkansas, waived a preliminary hearing Thursday in Jasper County Circuit Court on a felony count of unlawful use of a weapon, and Associate Judge Joseph Hensley set his initial appearance in a trial division of the court for June 1.

Dobbs is accused of pulling a knife on a male employee of the Walmart store at 1501 S. Range Line Road on Sept. 5, 2020, when the employee confronted him about ramming a shopping cart into the front doors of the store.

A probable-cause affidavit states that the defendant pulled a folding knife out of his pocket, began opening it and told the employee that he was going to slit his throat.