Eureka Police arrested a 24-year-old Belleville, Ill., man after officers allegedly found a stolen gun and drugs in the car he was driving. The car was connected to warrants from other police departments, police reported.
At about 3:10 p.m. March 23, a license plate reader near the intersection of highways 109, W and FF detected a 2015 Toyota Corolla had entered city limits and alerted Eureka Police that the car’s owner was wanted by Hazelwood Police for felony resisting arrest and by Creve Coeur Police for the theft of a motor vehicle, the report said.
A Eureka Police officer located the car on Hwy. 109 near Augustine Road and followed it to the QuikTrip gas station, 290 E. Fourth St. At the gas station, the Belleville man got out of the car and went into the convenience store, according to the report.
The officer waited outside for the man who exited the store but went back in before coming out again and walking toward the Corolla. The officer stopped the man before he got into the car and arrested him on the warrants, Eureka Police reported.
The officer searched the car and allegedly found a .9-millimeter Ruger gun that had been reported stolen in St. Charles County, as well as what appeared to be illegal drugs and marijuana. The driver was a convicted felon and was not allowed to have gun, the report said.
The man was taken to the Eureka Police Station, where he was booked and held for Creve Coeur Police. Depending on results of the drug analysis, Eureka Police will seek charges against the man through the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of stolen property and possession of a controlled substance, Lt. Michael Werges said.