Arnold Police arrested a 42-year-old St. Louis man who allegedly was found with a dirt bike and an ATV that had been reported stolen and another ATV with a defaced vehicle identification number. The man was arrested during a traffic stop on I-55 near Hwy. 141, police reported.
An Arnold Police officer pulled over the man at about 1:30 p.m. May 30 after reportedly seeing him speeding in a 2006 Ford F-150. The man allegedly was driving 83 mph in a 65-mph zone, the report said.
The man was hauling a utility trailer behind the truck, and inside the trailer were two dirt bikes and two ATVs. The pickup allegedly was not registered, and the man had no proof of insurance. In addition, the man said he had titles for the bikes and ATVs but could not produce them, according to the report.
The officer reportedly saw two wires hanging from under the ignition of one of the bikes, a 2020 Honda CRF, and checked the bike’s VIN. The bike had been reported stolen in St. Louis, the report said.
The officer asked the man if any of the other vehicles in the trailer were stolen, and the man allegedly said the 2006 Honda Recon ATV was, and the officer confirmed that the ATV had been reported stolen in 2018 in Jefferson County, according to the report.
The VIN on the 2005 Honda Rincon 650 ATV had been altered, and investigators suspect it, too, had been stolen, the report said.
Arnold Police did not provide information about the other dirt bike in the trailer.
The man was arrested and taken to the Police Station, where he was booked and released pending application for warrants. Arnold Police will seek charges against the man through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for possession of stolen property, altering a VIN and various traffic infractions, Cpl. Brett Ackermann said.