SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A man who allegedly threatened law enforcement with a large knife and a finger gun while burgling a Springfield grocery store for cereal was arrested.
Jerimiah Allen Green, 41, of Springfield, was arrested and formally charged with three felonies on March 5:
- Second-degree burglary.
- Resisting arrest.
- Armed criminal action.
According to a police report, the Springfield Police Department was dispatched to a grocery store on West Commercial Street to investigate an alarm at 3:56 a.m. on March 5. The business was not open at the time.
When officers arrived, they found that someone had forced entry through the front entrance. They began searching the building and found Green standing behind the deli counter holding a large knife. Green allegedly refused to drop the knife. Green told officers to shoot him and threw the knife at them. He missed.
While police negotiated with him, he walked through the store and damaged store property and merchandise. Eventually, he told the police that he had a gun and “lunged at officers making a finger gun gesture.” The police went outside to make a perimeter while Green refused to leave, staying inside to damage walls and merchandise.
Eventually, a K9 unit arrived and found Green in the rafters. An officer searched Green and found eight rifle ammunition rounds, but no gun. A gun was not found anywhere in the building.
At the jail, Green told police that he was upset because a girl was not being honest with him. He also said he used methamphetamine every day and ended up at the grocery store because he wanted cereal. He said he may have kicked open the door and gone inside.
When asked what he was thinking before police showed up, Green responded, “suicide by cop.” He said he thought he had a pistol and remembered having it at some point, but when he reached for it as the police showed up, it was not there. Green is a felon who is not allowed to own a firearm.
Green is scheduled to have a bond review hearing at 8:30 a.m. on March 15 and a criminal setting at 8:30 a.m. on April 4. This article will be updated as Green’s case progresses.
