The Joplin Globe
JOPLIN, Mo. — The Jasper County prosecutor has charged one dismissed Baxter Springs firefighter with stealing from the Joplin Home Depot store in Joplin the night of the May 22 tornado, but has declined to charge a second.
Prosecutor Dean Dankelson filed a misdemeanor offense of stealing Wednesday against Matthew W. Page, 25, in Jasper County Circuit Court. Page was one of three firefighters dismissed June 9 by the town of Baxter Springs, Kan., for alleged misconduct during the emergency response to the tornado. Fire Chief Les Page, the father of Matt Page, was placed on administrative leave at the same time as the dismissals.
Joplin police sought charges against another of the dismissed firefighters, Brandon Bailey, as well as Page. “We filed on the one that we had enough evidence on and did not on the other,” Dankelson said.
Full story: One firefighter charged in tornado looting case