Two men have been accused of burglarizing a Festus-area home. Shortly after the burglary, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office detectives saw the men in a pickup, and the detectives found guns and a crossbow that were stolen from the home, according to court documents.
Robert K. Theiss, 54, of Eureka and Ronnie Dwayne Williams, 55, of Florissant have each been charged with second-degree burglary and stealing firearms, both class D felonies that each carry a punishment of up to seven years in prison. Williams also has been charged with stealing items valued at $750 or more, which also is a class D felony, from House Springs business, court records said.
The two were arrested on Oct. 30. As of Nov. 5, the pair were being held without bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court documents show.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, the Sheriff’s Office was called at about 4 p.m. Oct. 30 to the Festus-area home after a man who lives there saw his back door was open and items were scattered throughout the house. The man said multiple guns, ammunition, hunting equipment and checkbooks had been stolen.
Some items were located in a detached garage, which also was broken into, the report said.
Neighbors told deputies they had seen a white pickup at the home. At about 4:20 p.m. that day, Sheriff’s Office detectives located Theiss and Williams in a white 1999 Ford F-250 at Britton’s Quick Shop, 8730 Hwy. 21, north of Hillsboro, the report said.
The detectives located several firearms that were reported stolen from the Festus-area home as well as a stolen crossbow and ammunition, according to the report.
Theiss allegedly told investigators that he was “good for” everything recovered in the pickup. He said he had targeted the home, which was near Ketha Heights Baptist Church, 3479 Frontier Road, west of Festus, the report said.
Theiss allegedly told investigators he used a pry bar to get into the home and garage. He also called his mother on Oct. 31 from jail and said that he was “guilty” for everything “they” are accusing him of, according to the probable-cause statement.
Williams allegedly said he went with Theiss to the home, and the two stole guns and ammunition and moved items into the detached garage. He said he was hiding in a wooded area near the home while Theiss went to get the pickup, but after he saw a mail truck and another vehicle stopped at the home, he walked away and was later picked up by Theiss, the report said.
According to another probable-cause statement, Williams and another unidentified man on Oct. 27 allegedly stole $600 worth of diesel fuel and approximately $500 worth of tools from a House Springs industrial business.
On Oct. 25, the same Ford F-250 that Theiss and Williams were located in was seen in surveillance video entering the business. There was a water tank in the pickup’s bed, and the men appeared to fill the tank with fuel while removing items from a storage container, the report said.
It also was discovered that the pickup was stolen on Oct. 24 in Pacific. Also, Williams and the other man had tried to sell the diesel fuel, according to the report.
On Oct. 27, an employee at Karsch’s Village Market, 10724 Hwy. 21 Business, in Hillsboro told deputies she found the registration to the F-250 in a planter outside the market. She also said two men, one who was later identified as Williams, then went inside the nearby laundromat, the report said.
Surveillance video showed the two men in the laundromat. Williams told investigators they went to the laundromat because fuel was leaking from the water tank, and they were trying to remove the smell, according to the report.