A 23-year-old Arnold man recently was arrested in connection with several thefts from vehicles parked in the same part of town off Old Lemay Ferry Road, according to Arnold Police.
At 8:44 a.m. Oct. 13, Arnold Police got a call that the suspect was sleeping in someone’s backyard in the 2200 block of Morris Drive. After a man who lived in the home spotted the suspect in his yard, he reportedly asked him to leave, but instead the suspect allegedly lifted his shirt to show he had a firearm, so the homeowner returned to his house and called police, Detective Lt. James Jones said.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found the suspect in the homeowner’s shed. The suspect was taken into custody and the gun was seized. Officers later discovered that the gun reportedly had been stolen between 10 p.m. Oct. 9 and 7 a.m. Oct. 10 from a Ford F150 pickup parked in the 1700 block of Terrace Drive in Arnold, Jones said.
During that same period, $75 in cash was stolen from an unlocked Ford Escape parked on a neighboring street, in the 2200 block of Maxville Lane, so the man also is suspected in that theft, Jones said.
In addition, the man is suspected of stealing a flashlight, knife and $35 in cash from an unlocked vehicle parked in the 2200 block of Grant Drive. That knife was found lying near a different vehicle parked in the 2200 block of Grant Drive that appeared to have been broken into. However, nothing was stolen from it. Police took the knife and submitted it as evidence, the report said.
The man also is suspected of stealing a small pouch of EpiPens from an unlocked vehicle parked in the 2300 block of Grant Drive. A neighbor later found the EpiPens, and Arnold Police took them as evidence, according to the report.
Jones said a collapsible baton and flashlight were stolen from another unlocked vehicle parked along Grant Drive, and the man allegedly was found with the baton.
The suspect was booked and held for St. Louis County Police who wanted him for a probation violation, Jones said.
He said Arnold Police will seek charges against him through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for misdemeanor and felony stealing, unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a concealed weapon and trespassing.