A 30-year-old De Soto man has been arrested for allegedly stealing a laptop and tools from a pickup parked outside an Arnold restaurant. The theft happened between 11:30 a.m. and noon Jan. 28 at the Chili’s Grill and Bar, 901 Arnold Commons Drive, Arnold Police reported.
The man allegedly broke out the driver-side back window on the 2020 Dodge Ram and then stole an HP laptop valued at $1,400 and a bag of tools valued at $300. The damage to the window was estimated at $300, the report said.
The victim, a 53-year-old Belvidere, Ill., man, said he had parked the pickup outside the restaurant before going in for lunch, according to the report.
Festus Police arrested the De Soto man at about 2 a.m. Jan. 29 at a hotel after officers were called there because of a disturbance. When officers arrived, they discovered the man had a laptop that had been reported stolen by the Arnold Police the previous day, the report said.
Arnold Police picked up the man from the Festus Police Department. Arnold Police will seek charges against him through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for stealing from a motor vehicle and property damage, Capt. Rich Shular said.