A 56-year-old St. Louis man recently was arrested after the two trucks he allegedly stole in Jefferson County got stuck in mud, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reports.
At about 1:40 p.m. May 21, a Valles Mines man was cutting trees in a wooded area near his home in the 4100 block of Valles Mines Road and saw someone driving away in his 1998 Chevrolet 3500 dump truck, valued at $6,000, the report said.
The victim got on his tractor and followed the suspect, who allegedly was using the dump truck to try to free a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup that was stuck in the mud. During the process, however, the dump truck got stuck, too, said Capt. Ron Arnhart of the Sheriff’s Office.
The victim called the Sheriff’s Office and detained the suspect until deputies arrived, the report said.
The suspect was arrested, and the dump truck was returned to the owner, Arnhart said.
In addition, deputies learned that the Dodge pickup had been reported stolen April 23 from the 3500 block of Plattin Road in the De Soto area, Arnhart added.
He said the suspect was booked and released pending application for warrants.
The Sheriff’s Office will seek felony stealing charges against the man through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
As of today (May 29), no charges had been filed, Arnhart said.