Kansas man waives hearing on Joplin store robbery charge

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

Mar. 15—A 28-year-old man from Girard, Kansas, waived a preliminary hearing this week on a charge that he robbed a Joplin home furnishings store of an expensive cellphone and video game system.

Kristen D. Romesburg waived the hearing Thursday in Jasper County Circuit Court and was ordered bound over for trial on a charge of first-degree robbery. The court set March 27 for the defendant's initial appearance in a trial division.

Joplin police arrested Romesburg on Jan. 6 following a vehicle stop and foot pursuit in the aftermath of a reported robbery at Buddy's Home Furnishings, 1710 W. Seventh St.

A probable-cause affidavit states that Romesburg started to walk out of the business with a Samsung Galaxy S22 L and an Xbox Series X Diablo Edition. A store manager followed him out of the store trying to get him to give the items back but stopped when Romesburg purportedly threatened to shoot him and made a gesture implying that he had a gun in a pocket of his hooded sweatshirt.

He climbed in the passenger seat of a pickup truck and left but was stopped by police moments later, according to the affidavit.

Jeff Lehr is a reporter for The Joplin Globe.