Eureka Police arrested a 30-year-old Catawissa man for alleged drug possession and a 28-year-old Bonne Terre man for allegedly stealing from Walmart, 131 Eureka Towne Center Drive. The officer stopped the SUV the men were traveling in due to its headlights not being on as it was leaving the store parking lot, police reported.
At about 10:30 p.m. Jan. 24, an officer stopped the 2006 Jeep Liberty in the parking lot, the report said.
The Catawissa man was driving the Liberty, and there was a woman in the front passenger seat and the Bonne Terre man was in the back seat. The man driving the SUV said he didn’t realize the headlights were not on, and all three people in the Jeep didn’t have driver’s licenses, according to the report.
The three told the officer their names, and the officer learned the driver was on probation for assault; the Bonne Terre man was wanted on warrant; and the woman had recently been charged with theft, the report said.
The Bonne Terre man was arrested on a warrant, according to the report.
The officer told the driver he was going to search the SUV, and the man allegedly said there was a bag with methamphetamine that belonged to someone else, the report said.
The officer allegedly found the bag with suspected meth in it between the driver’s seat and center console. He also found a backpack in the rear passenger’s seat that had what appeared to be stolen items from Walmart, according to the report.
The driver and the woman were arrested. The two said they didn’t know about the backpack, the report said.
The Bonne Terre man allegedly told officers the backpack was his and that he purchased the items. However, he did not have a receipt, and a store employee said the man had not purchased anything in the store, according to the report.
The backpack, which also was allegedly stolen, and the items inside it were valued at $368.77. The items were returned to the store, the report said.
The Bonne Terre man allegedly latet told an officer he stole the backpack and he stole items to sell, the report said.
The men were taken to the Police Station, where they were booked. The Catawissa man was released pending the application for a warrant, and the Bonne Terre man was transported to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office due to the warrant, according to the report.
Depending on results of the drug analysis, Eureka Police will seek charges against the Catawissa man through the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for possession of a controlled substance, Lt. Michael Tapp said.
He also said Bonne Terre man was issued a summons to appear in Eureka Municipal Court for alleged stealing.
The woman was released at the scene, according to the report.