Arkansas Man Arrested in Benton County on Burglary, Tampering Charges

Lance Joseph Parker, 33, of Marble Falls, Arkansas, was arrested by Benton County Deputies on Tuesday afternoon, July 16, at 1:16 p.m., after Benton County Central Dispatch was notified of a disturbance at 34154 Highway 65, a rural Warsaw address.

The owner of the property and his employee were returning after work to find a stranger trying to drive away in the employee’s truck. Luckily, there was a pipe fence obstructing the getaway path and their incoming vehicle was blocking the driveway.

The suspect, later identified as Lance Joseph Parker, 33, of Marble Falls, Arkansas abandoned the stolen truck and fled into the foliage beyond the residence. The property owner discovered Parker’s Dodge truck concealed inside his garage.

Benton County Deputies, MSHP, Missouri Department of Conservation agents and deputies from the Pettis County Sheriff’s Office cordoned off a two square-mile area using Peter’s Avenue, Highway 65 and 7 Highways as a boundary.

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Pettis County deployed their drone and K9 team in an attempt to locate Parker. The heat and humidity hampered their efforts to immediately apprehend Parker but did flush him out to the south where a caller stated a man matching the description was sculking in his mother’s yard near 7 Highway and Lickingteller Avenue. Deputies already in the area converged on the location and apprehended Parker.

Parker is believed to have burglarized a residence just to the South of our county in Hickory as well and may have charges pending there. Parker was being held on a 24-hour hold while Benton County Sheriff Eric Knox is requesting the charges of 2nd Degree Burglary, and Tampering With a Motor Vehicle, both of which are a class D felony. He was booked in at 4:40 p.m. Tuesday.

Sheriff Knox thanked all involved, especially the Pettis County Sheriff’s Office and “Sheriff Brad Anders who is always ready to send his well-trained staff when needed. Several of our staff, including our K9 team, drone and pilot were out of town for weapons training.”