Jury finds Joplin man not guilty in Third Thursday kidnapping case

(From the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's Office)

After a two-day jury trial in Jasper County Circuit Court, defendant Johnny Arehart, 32, was found not guilty of child kidnapping in the first degree.

The State charged that the defendant had picked up a five-old-child and removed her from the immediate vicinity of her mother without the knowledge or consent of her  parents on May 18, 2023, at a Third Thursday event in downtown Joplin.

The entire event was captured on the surveillance video of the TAMKO building located  at 211 Main Street. The defendant was seen on video picking up the child and walking  away with her. He had the child in his arms approximately thirty seconds and travelled  approximately 100 feet before the child called out to her mother who immediately  responded to the cry of her child. The defendant then put the child down claiming that he  thought the child was lost, and that he was trying to help the child locate her parents.

The trial began on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, and was submitted to the jury on Thursday, November 5, 2026. The jury deliberated almost six hours before finding the  defendant not guilty. “Although we saw the evidence differently, we respect the jury’s  decision and appreciate their service,” said Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney Theresa Kenney.