A House Springs man reportedly beat up an Imperial man who was later arrested for allegedly stealing items from the House Springs man’s home. The House Springs man could face assault charges, but he had not been arrested as of Dec. 10, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
At about 7 a.m. Nov. 24, the House Springs man discovered items missing from the living room closet at his home in the 4800 block of Pine Road. After that, the House Springs man went outside and noticed that someone had tampered with his pickup and stole items from the bed of the pickup, the report said.
A neighbor told the House Springs man he had seen the 25-year-old Imperial man tampering with the pickup and removing items from a shed at approximately 4:45 a.m. The neighbor said he questioned the Imperial man, who claimed he was performing mechanical work on the vehicle, according to the report.
The House Springs man told investigators he was inventorying his vehicle at approximately 7:30 a.m., when he saw the Imperial man walking down the street. The House Springs man said he tried to get the Imperial man to give back the missing items, but he was uncooperative, so the House Springs man “struck the suspect in the face and ribs numerous times with closed fists,” the report said.
The suspect sustained cuts and bruises to his forehead, as well as a cut near his left eye. He was taken for medical treatment before authorities took him to the Jefferson County Jail, according to the report.
It looked like the burglary suspect got into the House Springs home by removing an air conditioning unit from a rear basement window, the report said.