Joplin man's felony assault charge dismissed

Jeff Lehr, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·1 min read
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Apr. 25—NEOSHO, Mo. — The Newton County prosecutor's office has dismissed a felony assault charge that a 23-year-old Joplin man has been facing.

A charge of second-degree assault filed on Dylan J. Armstrong two years ago was dismissed at a hearing Wednesday in Newton County Circuit Court with the prosecutor's office citing the alleged victim's reluctance to pursue the matter any longer.

The case involved an altercation between the defendant and Marquis Saunders on July 23, 2022, at 3420 S. Ruby Way in Joplin. Saunders told police that he asked Armstrong to leave the address several times. But he would not go before choking Saunders' mother and hitting his girlfriend.

Saunders purportedly fled the residence to True Wine Spirits and Smokes on Hearnes Boulevard, where Armstrong caught up with him, began throwing liquor bottles around and broke the glass in the store's door and frame. He also purportedly choked Saunders again.

The prosecutor's office said the defendant remains charged in the case with misdemeanor counts of property damage and resisting arrest.

Jeff Lehr is a reporter for The Joplin Globe.