A 26-year-old Barnhart man was arrested in connection with the theft of a Festus Special Road District truck with a snow plow on it from outside a Pevely gas station. The 2017 Ford F-550 truck was recovered a short time later near the Pevely Pointe Apartments, Pevely Police Chief Mark Glenn said.
He said the incident began the morning of Feb. 24 at the Express Mart, 1707 Hwy. Z.
“The reporting party, an employee of the Festus Special Road District, reported that he stopped to pump gas into a Festus Special Road District truck,” Glenn said. “The employee went inside the station, leaving the truck running at the gas pump. When he returned a short time later, he discovered the truck was missing.”
Glenn said Pevely officers soon found the truck.
“Within minutes, officers located the stolen snow plow truck in the 1000 block of Pevely Pointe Drive,” he said. “Officers observed that the truck was running with its hazard lights flashing and a large pile of salt at the rear of the vehicle, which had been released from the hopper.”
An officer approached the truck and the suspect got out of the truck and began shoveling snow and ice off the road using a short flathead shovel, Glenn said.
“Officers immediately identified this person based on numerous interactions in the past,” Glenn said.
He said the suspect took off running, slipped on the ice and fell but got up and continued to run away. However, two officers eventually caught up with him and took him into custody.
Glenn said officers found a sock containing a white crystalized substance and a small glass smoking pipe on the ground near the suspect. He was arrested and then released pending application for warrants.
The vehicle was returned to the Festus Special Road District and did not appear damaged, Glenn said.