Charges dismissed in Joplin assault, burglary case

Apr. 17—A defendant charged with cutting a man with a knife before unlawfully entering another man's home and stealing his car keys and car dodged a court case when his charges were dismissed Thursday when the victims did not show up to testify against him.

Jaime F. Figueroa, 39, of Carthage, was scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Jasper County Circuit Court on charges of first-degree assault, armed criminal action, first-degree burglary, stealing a motor vehicle, delivery of a controlled substance and resisting arrest.

All six counts were dismissed due to a lack of cooperation on the part of the victims, according to the Jasper County prosecutor's office.

The charges stemmed from an incident April, 5, 2020, when Figueroa got into an argument with Joseph Sayles in the 800 block of South Ohio Avenue in Joplin.

A probable-cause affidavit alleged that Figueroa cut Sayles twice on the head with a pocket knife before entering a residence across the street from Sayles' home and stealing the keys to a Ford Escort, in which he fled the scene.

A police officer attempted to pull the vehicle over and a high-speed pursuit ensued during which Figueroa purportedly ran several stop signs and drove into oncoming lanes more than once. While fleeing, he allegedly threw a bag from the car that later was found to contain 7.6 grams of methamphetamine, digital scales and plastic bags commonly used in the packaging of drugs, according to the affidavit.