Burglary call leads to arrest of suspect on drug charges

Jeff Lehr, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·1 min read

Aug. 1—Officers responding to a report of a burglary in progress Saturday morning at a vacant house on North Byers Avenue in Joplin detained a 36-year-old man they purportedly caught inside the residence.

Capt. William Davis with the Joplin Police Department said Michael W. Marchbanks, 36, of Joplin, is suspected of having been illegally entering and staying in the residence at 513 N. Byers Ave.

Davis said Marchbanks was coming out of the house as officers arrived and quickly ducked back inside. Because officers allegedly discovered six grams of meth on him when they detained him moments later, he was charged with both resisting arrest and possession of a controlled substance.

Davis said that as of Monday, police had not been able to reach the mortgage company that owns the property to see if they wished to press a burglary charge as well.

Jeff Lehr is a reporter for The Joplin Globe.