A St. Louis man was recently booked into the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro after he was located putting gas into a stolen pickup while allegedly in possession of a controlled substance earlier this year, court records show.
Joshua James Napoli, 47, of St. Louis on Aug. 17 was charged with felony first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance. He was booked on Aug. 29 at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, where he was being held on a $5,000 bond as of Sept. 1, according to court and jail records.
According to the probable-cause statement filed by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy on March 13 saw Napoli putting gas into a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado that was displaying license plates that had been reported stolen at the ZX gas station, 2854 Hwy. 67, south of Festus.
After contacting Napoli, the deputy learned the license plates were not registered to the Silverado, and the deputy learned the pickup had been reported stolen on Feb. 4 from the 1400 block of Gravois Road in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton, the report said.
The deputy then searched the pickup, and he allegedly found two leather bags in the rear seat. One bag had five plastic bags that each contained a white powdery substance, and the other bag had six glass smoking devices, according to the report.
The substance was tested by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which reported on July 9 that it tested positive as meth, the report said.
Napoli allegedly told the deputy that the bags belonged to him, but he said he had purchased the pickup, according to the report.