Authorities are looking for a man and the rusted Dodge van he reportedly was driving, which police believe was involved in a theft at an Arnold storage facility. A 23-year-old Arnold woman already has been arrested in connection with the theft from I-55 Store It, 3401 Robinson Drive, Arnold Police reported.
The theft occurred June 24, and surveillance video from the incident allegedly shows the woman, who was in a different vehicle, twice open a gate to the storage facility so the man driving the Dodge van could enter the property, the report said.
The woman was arrested at about 3:05 p.m. July 2 near McAlister’s Deli, 2249 Michigan Ave., in Arnold during a traffic stop. The woman was riding in a different van – a 2001 Chevrolet Venture van – driven by a 41-year-old Arnold man. The man also was arrested after police allegedly found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in that van, the report said.
Officers were patrolling the area where that van was stopped because they were informed the woman frequently was seen in the area, according to the report.
Police officers believe the woman helped the unidentified man they are seeking in the theft at the Arnold storage facility, where a black 2015 Stillwater trailer was stolen. The trailer had a Gravely 36-inch walk-behind mower and a push lawnmower on it. Altogether, the trailer and other equipment were valued at $8,200, the report said.
The owner said he had chained the trailer to a tractor on June 24 and discovered it missing on June 28, the report said.
When police arrested the woman, she told them she had no knowledge of the theft at I-55 Store It and claimed the Dodge van frequently followed her into the business when she went to a unit she rented there. However, police said surveillance video from the storage facility only showed the woman followed by the van on June 24, according to the report.
On that day, the video reportedly showed the woman use a keypad at about 10:10 p.m. to open an electronic gate to enter the facility. Then, she was followed by a van described as a late-1990s or early-2000s full-sized Dodge van with a rusted roof and paint peeling from the hood. The van was driven by the unidentified man police are seeking, the report said.
The woman parked near a storage unit registered to the man she was with on July 2 when she was arrested. On June 24, The Dodge van was seen circling the area where the trailer was chained to the tractor before both the woman and the van left the facility, according to the report.
At about 10:55 p.m., the woman and the Dodge van reportedly returned to the storage business, and the woman again opened the electronic gate. Then, she parked near the same unit as before, and the man driving the van went to where the trailer was stored, Arnold Police reported.
The woman then left the facility, followed by the van, which was hauling the trailer and lawn equipment away from the business, the report said.
Anyone with information about the theft or the location of the Dodge van is asked to call Arnold Police at 636-296-3204.
As of Wednesday (July 7), the man had not been identified and the Dodge van had not been located. The trailer and lawn mowers had not been recovered either, Detective Lt. Jason Valentine said.
The woman and the man she was arrested with on July 2 were taken to the Police Station, where they were booked and released pending application for warrants. Depending on results of the drug analysis, Arnold Police will seek charges against the woman through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for stealing, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Police will seek charges against the man for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, Valentine said.