A 50-year-old Arnold man was arrested after he allegedly broke into a building in Eureka and stole an SUV. That was the second day in a row Eureka Police had arrested the man, police reported.
At 12:43 p.m. March 13, a Eureka Police officer reportedly found the man hiding in the rafters of a building, 271 West First St., that was under renovation. The man, who appeared to be homeless, was arrested March 12 when he allegedly refused to leave iStorage Self Storage, 306 West Fourth St., after his belongings were removed from a storage locker he could not pay the rental charge for, the report said.
Prior to those two arrests, numerous residents had encountered the man at various locations around Eureka and had called police about him. They said the man seemed friendly, but he had unusual conversations with them, Capt. David Wilson said.
Because the man had not broken any laws or threatened to harm anyone, however, police did not arrest him until he refused to leave the storage business, Wilson said.
The first arrest happened at about 6:20 p.m. March 12, after the owner of the storage business removed the man’s belongings from a locker and placed them outside the business’s fence. When the man refused to leave the property, he was arrested and taken to the Police Station. He was held overnight, cited for trespassing and released on a summons to appear in Eureka Municipal Court, Wilson said.
He said police got in touch with some of the man’s family, who said they were working with Behavioral Health Response of Creve Coeur to get the man help. However, Eureka Police had to arrest the man again after he allegedly stole a Jeep Cherokee and illegally entered the building under renovation, the report said.
Police were called to the West First Street building after the owner was contacted to open the door for a cleaning crew. The hidden key the crew ordinarily used to get inside was missing. Once inside, police noticed ceiling tiles and duct work had been damaged, the report said.
They found a pair of rubber boots, along with grocery bags, food and a backpack, in the kitchen area. It also appeared someone had attempted to use a dishwasher to clean clothing, according to the report.
Police found the Jeep Cherokee parked inside a loading dock garage and discovered it belonged to an employee of a nearby business on West First Street. Items from the Jeep had been removed and placed on a shelf in the loading dock, the report said.
A ladder in the loading dock was set up under some of the damaged ceiling tiles, and when an officer inspected the ceiling, he found the man hiding in the rafters, the report said.
The man was arrested and taken to the Police Station. He allegedly told officers he had hidden in the ceiling for two hours by hanging onto the steel rafters with his hands and toes.
The man, who described himself as Hercules, allegedly told police there were human traffickers using underground tunnels between Walmart and a barn on Main Street to transfer stolen Bosnian boys and prostitutes, the report said.
The man allegedly was seen on surveillance footage finding keys to the Cherokee on its floorboard. He also reportedly could be seen wearing the same gray shorts he was wearing when police apprehended him. Police also allegedly found keys to the Jeep and the building on a key ring the man had in his pocket, according to the report.
Damage to the building was estimated at about $3,630, including the damage to the ceiling tiles and duct work. Also, a coaxial had been ripped from the ceiling and walls, police reported.
Eureka Police will seek charges against the man through the St. Louis County Mental Health Court for second-degree burglary and tampering with a motor vehicle, Wilson said.