Joseph M. Zink, 20, of High Ridge has been charged with a felony for allegedly swindling a woman he had agreed to buy a cell phone from and driving away while she was hanging onto his vehicle, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
After using Facebook to set up a meeting with the victim, a 29-year-old Byrnes Mill woman, Zink reportedly met her Dec. 27 in the 5600 block of Hwy. PP in High Ridge, the report said.
The victim said Zink asked her to come to his gold Honda car to complete the transaction because he has a handicap. After handing Zink the iPhone X, which was valued at $400, he allegedly handed her fake money and drove off with the victim holding onto the vehicle, dragging her several feet before she let go, according to the report.
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said the victim had “scrapes and bruises and a possible shoulder injury.”
Deputies tracked down the suspect later that day at a relative’s home in High Ridge and reportedly found several counterfeit $100 bills in the gold Honda Accord, which was parked in his driveway. He was taken into custody without incident, the report said.
On Dec. 30, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Zink with second-degree robbery, a class B felony punishable by five to 15 years in prison. He was being held today (Jan. 3) in the Jefferson County Jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond.