A Hillsboro man has been charged with eight felonies in connection with a string of business burglaries and vehicle thefts around the county, authorities reported.
Christopher S. Goebel, 37, was charged April 5 with one count of first-degree burglary, a class B felony; four counts of second-degree burglary, a class D felony; and three counts of first-degree tampering with motor vehicles, a class D felony, according to court records.
A class B felony is punishable by five to 15 years in prison, and each of the class D felonies is punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Goebel was being held today (April 9) in the Jefferson County Jail on a $40,000 bond.
Goebel was arrested April 4 for his alleged involvement in burglaries and vehicle thefts that took place over a two-week period in March, Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said in a written statement.
The Sheriff’s Office posted a video of a suspect in the burglaries and thefts on social media, and a caller identified the suspect as Goebel, according to the probable-cause statement in the case.
After his arrest, Goebel admitted to burglarizing four gas stations, one of them twice, as well as stealing or driving three stolen pickups, the report said.
Goebel allegedly is linked to the following crimes:
■ March 22 – burglary at the High Ridge Quik Stop, 2915 High Ridge Blvd. A single male suspect was seen on video breaking through glass doors to gain entry into the store after it was closed. The suspect used a hammer to break into video poker-style machines that contained money, the report said.
■ March 23 – burglary at the Express Mart, 5701 Hwy. 21, in Otto. The burglary was similar to the one at the High Ridge Quik Stop, but “the suspect’s face was captured (on surveillance footage) after his face covering fell off,” according to the report.
■ March 26 – theft of a 1995 Dodge Ram truck from the 200 block of Seebold Spur in unincorporated Fenton. During the theft, the suspect drove through security fencing, causing $2,000 in damage to the fence, the report said.
■ March 26 – burglary at the Phillips 66 Gas Mart, 4635 Gravois Road, in House Springs. Investigation determined the suspect used the 1995 Dodge Ram stolen earlier in the day in the burglary, according to the report.
■ March 27 – a 1995 Dodge Ram was recovered on a street in Imperial. Video from a nearby home shows a suspect exiting the truck “to steal items from another nearby parked vehicle.” While the suspect was trying to steal items, however, “a passerby stopped to check on the 1995 Dodge, which caused the suspect to run off, leaving the stolen truck and its contents.” A receipt found in the truck for a purchase at the House Springs Buchheit store led investigators to view store surveillance tape and determine it was the suspect, the report said.
■ March 27 – theft of a 1998 Dodge Ram truck from the 3600 block of Kneff Farm Crossing, in Imperial. Through the investigation, the truck theft was linked to the suspect, according to the report.
■ March 29 – theft of a 1994 Dodge Ram truck from the 3800 block of Wedde Road in Barnhart. A different stolen Dodge Ram truck from Sunset Hills was recovered nearby.
■ March 29 – burglary of Riti’s Fast Mart, 4780 Raetta Lane, in House Springs.
■ March 29 – second burglary at the Express Mart, 5701 Hwy. 21, in Otto. Two employees were inside getting ready to open for business and after one confronted the suspect, the suspect fled the scene in the stolen 1994 Dodge Ram truck. A short time later, the truck was involved in a crash on Dry Fork Road in Imperial, but the driver was not at the scene when investigators arrived.
Marshak said the investigation is ongoing, and the Sheriff’s Office is looking at whether Goebel was possibly involved in other cases.