photo by: Contributed photo

A man suspected of an armed robbery in Lawrence on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, is pictured in an image provided by the Lawrence Police Department.

A Lawrence man reportedly told police that he robbed a payday loan store because he was about to get evicted from his apartment.

Joeseph M. Splechter, 27, allegedly turned himself in — along with most of the cash — to Lawrence police the day after a robbery was reported at Check Into Cash, 2108 W. 27th St., according to court documents.

Splechter has been charged with one count of robbery, a midlevel-severity felony.

The Journal-World requested and received the police affidavit supporting Splechter’s arrest. Allegations in affidavits have not been proved in court, and defendants in criminal cases should be presumed not guilty unless and until they are convicted.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has declined to release Splechter’s booking photo to the Journal-World.

photo by: Dylan Lysen

Lawrence police respond to a report of an armed robbery at Check Into Cash, 2108 W. 27th St., Ste. A1, on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020.

According to the affidavit, a man walked into the business on Feb. 6 and told an employee that he needed cash to pay a bill, then handed her a note that said “Give Me Your Cash I Am Armed.” The woman told police that “she asked the male if he was serious and he advised her he was,” so she handed him $725 in cash and he left.

The incident was caught on surveillance video, and Lawrence police shared a few still images from the surveillance via social media. The images showed a heavyset white man with a full beard, wearing a blue plaid jacket over a green plaid shirt, sunglasses and a stocking cap. In one image, an unidentifiable mark was visible on the man’s thumb as he held cash in his left hand, according to the affidavit.

The next morning, Splechter reportedly visited the police department’s Investigations and Training Center, 4820 Bob Billings Parkway. He reportedly spoke with a detective in an interview room there and said that he had committed the robbery. Police said previously that Splechter’s family had seen the images on social media and encouraged him to turn himself in.

Splechter told police that he shaved his beard immediately after the robbery “to avoid detection,” according to the affidavit. He had a tattoo of a cross on his left thumb.

He had needed the money because he was about $1,000 behind on rent, and he’d just found a notice of eviction on his door, he allegedly told police. He reportedly turned in a plastic bag holding about $700 in cash. He said he’d spent about $15 on gas at Hy-Vee, according to the affidavit.

It is unclear from the affidavit whether Splechter was actually believed to be armed during the alleged incident.

Splechter was released from the Douglas County Jail on a $50,000 own-recognizance bond on Feb. 10, according to the booking log. His next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10.