The Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney’s office filed felony charges against a Joplin man and a Sarcoxie woman following an armed robbery at Aldi’s in Carthage Monday.
Marvin Earl Ward (DOB 1987), Joplin, was charged with five felonies- first-degree robbery, armed criminal action, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon, tampering with evidence- and one misdemeanor charge- possession of a defaced weapon.
Betty Lou Plopper (DOB 2001), Sarcoxie, was charged with being an accessory to a robbery, conspiracy to commit a felony, hindering prosecution of a felony, all felonies and a misdemeanor charge of making a false report.
Ward’s bond is set at $100,000 cash only, while Plopper’s is set at $75,000 cash only.
From Ward’s probable cause statement:
On 05/18/2026 at approximately 1952 hours, the Carthage Police Department was contacted in reference to an armed robbery that had just occurred at 2442 S. Grand Avenue. The reporting party advised that a black male had just brandished a firearm and stole cash from a till inside of the business prior to leaving on foot. Aldi’s employees advised that the black male had taken approximately $2,100.00 dollars from the till.
During a subsequent investigation, it was later discovered that approximately 13 minutes after the robbery a black male and a white female had purchased a hotel room at the Carthage Inn (2244 S. Grand Ave.) 2 blocks north of Aldi’s (the same direction the suspect was seen fleeing on security footage) using cash. Officers responded and contacted the female who was later identified as Betty Plopper.
Plopper was wearing black scandal slides when she was contacted by officers and identified the male as Marvin Ward. Plopper stated that Ward was in room 211 with a firearm. Plopper then gave consent to go through her cell phone, and it was determined that she had made a bogus 911 phone call a few minutes prior to the actual robbery that occurred.
Plopper stated that she did this so Ward wouldn’t get in trouble while he committed the robbery.
A search warrant for the hotel room was obtained, and prior to executing the warrant, Ward stepped out of the hotel room and complied with officer commands and was detained for questioning.
Ward was advised of his Rights per Miranda, to which he stated that he understood and agreed to speak with me. Ward stated that he entered Aldi’s with a firearm, and forcibly took the cash from the till and fled the scene on foot. Ward then discarded the clothing that he wore during the robbery as he was fleeing northbound at a laundromat on the north end of the strip mall where Aldi’s is located.
During a search of the hotel room, a silver Ruger P89 9mm handgun was located (it had 6 Hornady 9mm rounds in the magazine). The handgun did not have a serial number due to being defaced. Ward had stated that the handgun was his, and was inside of the hotel room. Law enforcement was able to recover $501.00 dollars in cash from Ward, Plopper, and inside of the hotel room.
After reviewing Ward’s criminal history, he has been convicted of Robbery 2nd Degree on 06/22/2007, Domestic Assault 2nd Degree on 09/08/2010, Felony Stealing on 01/13/2020, and Possession of a Controlled Substance on 12/20/2022.
From Plopper’s probable cause statement:
On May 18, 2026, officers with the Carthage Police Department responded to an armed robbery at ALDI, 2442 S. Grand Ave., Carthage, Jasper County, Missouri. During the investigation, officers learned a false 911 call had been placed reporting a robbery at a bank on the opposite side of the city, occurring at the same time as the Aldi robbery.
Investigators believed the false report was intentionally made to divert law enforcement resources away from the actual robbery scene.
Investigators identified Betty Plopper as being associated with robbery suspect Marvin Ward. I, Det. McMain, contacted Plopper at the Carthage Inn, 2244 S. Grand Ave., Carthage, Jasper County, Missouri.
During the contact, Plopper voluntarily allowed me to access her cellular phone. I placed a test call to 911 using the device and later confirmed with dispatch that the number used to make the false emergency call matched the number assigned to Plopper’s phone.
Plopper admitted Ward told her he was going to “get some money from a guy” shortly before leaving the area near Aldi. Plopper further admitted she knowingly placed the false 911 call reporting a robbery at a bank in another area of the city in order to draw officers away from the Aldi area and keep Ward out of trouble while the robbery was occurring.
Through the course of the investigation, investigators determined Ward committed a forcible stealing at Aldi while displaying what appeared to be a firearm. Plopper’s intentional placement of the false emergency report during the robbery diverted responding officers away from the scene and aided Ward in committing the offense and avoiding immediate apprehension.
Originally appeared on The Turner Report
