A 31-year-old Imperial man was arrested after he returned to a home in the 3300 block of Ketha Heights Circle northwest of Festus, where he allegedly had stolen an SUV. The 2012 Ford Escape was later recovered in the 11100 block of Mapaville Hematite Road north of Hematite, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
At about 8 p.m. July 9, deputies went to the Festus-area home to check on a report of a suspicious person. When they arrived, they found the Imperial man outside the home, and he allegedly told deputies he was there to notify the homeowner that her SUV was stolen, the report said.
The man, who refused to provide deputies with information about the theft, already was wanted for a probation violation. Deputies arrested the man and transported him to the Jefferson County Jail, where he was held for another law enforcement agency, according to the report.
On July 11, deputies found the stolen Escape in the Hematite area. It was returned to the owner, the report said.
The victim told investigators she was out of town when she received a Facebook message telling her about the stolen car, and she called the Sheriff’s Office while she was headed home. When deputies first arrived at the home on July 9, the victim was not there, but they noticed a rear sliding glass door had been removed from its track, allowing entry into the house, according to the report.
The victim told investigators the only set of keys to the Escape was missing from the home. The keys were not recovered with the car, the report said.
The Sheriff’s Office will seek charges against the man through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for burglary and first-degree tampering, spokesman Grant Bissell said.