A 34-year-old Imperial man was arrested for several alleged offenses moments after he reportedly bragged to a gas station employee about his time in prison and his ability to elude police. The man allegedly was connected to thefts in Arnold, Jefferson County and St. Charles County, Arnold Police reported.
He was arrested at about 6:40 a.m. June 22 outside the Circle K gas station, 2046 Key West Drive, in Arnold after an employee called Arnold Police and reported the man had been inside the convenience store boasting about his criminal escapes and ability to avoid arrest. After finding the man outside the gas station, officers learned he was a person of interest in a burglary in St. Charles and was wanted in St. Charles County for a probation and parole violation, the report said.
Following the man’s arrest, an officer found a tube in the suspect’s front right pants’ pocket, and it allegedly contained a bag of a green-leafy substance that appeared to be marijuana. The tube also contained 16 quarter bars of Xanax, according to the report.
The man was arrested, and while he was being transported to the Police Station, he allegedly told officers, “Yeah man, I am exhausted. I ran from you guys all night. My girl called me and told me you were outside Walmart, so I ran out the back because I knew you were there for the stolen truck I had. It was my buddy’s, but I knew it was hot because it didn’t need a key.”
Arnold Police found a 1996 Dodge Dakota that didn’t have license plates at about 9:50 p.m. June 21 outside Walmart, 2201 Michigan Ave. The officers had seen a man in the pickup, but they lost track of him when he went into the store. The Sheriff’s Office had reported the pickup stolen on June 13, the report said.
Also on his way to the Police Station, the man asked the officers to go back to the gas station so he could pick up two fishing poles and a pressure washer he had left on the side of the building. He allegedly had a GPS fish locator in his pocket when he was arrested, Arnold Police said.
The fishing equipment and pressure washer reportedly were stolen from a box trailer at the Five Star Auto Body repair business, 1535 Big Bill Road, in Arnold. While the man was being questioned at the Police Station, an officer was called to the auto repair business because someone allegedly had rummaged through unlocked vehicles at the business and broke the lock on the trailer. The fishing equipment and pressure washer were reported stolen, and those items were returned, the report said.
Depending on results of the drug analysis, Arnold Police will seek charges against the man through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, felony stealing and second-degree property damage, Detective Lt. Jason Valentine said.
Arnold Police held the man for the St. Charles Police, Valentine said.