Two Jefferson County men and one St. Louis man recently were arrested for allegedly stealing an all-terrain vehicle from a home in the 200 block of Douglas Street in the Festus area, says Capt. Ron Arnhart of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
At about 1:40 a.m. Dec. 31, the three men allegedly pushed a green 2013 Polaris Ranger onto a trailer attached to a pickup that was parked in a nearby vacant lot and then drove away, traveling west on Hwy. A, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
One of the victim’s neighbors reportedly saw the incident and called the Sheriff’s Office about it, Arnhart said.
After the alleged theft was reported, a deputy spotted the truck headed west on Hwy. A and pulled it over near Woodland Road, the report said.
The driver, a 39-year-old St. Louis man, was arrested, but the other two men – a 20-year-old De Soto man and a 23-year-old Arnold man – allegedly ran away into a nearby wooded area, Arnhart said.
They were located at about 9 p.m. Dec. 31 and arrested, he said.
The ATV, valued at about $11,600, was recovered and returned to the owner, Arnhart added.
Also, deputies seized bolt cutters, a cut padlock, a 2009 white Ford F150 pickup and a 14-foot trailer as evidence.
The Sheriff’s Office will seek felony stealing charges against all three men, but none had been filed as of Jan. 8, Arnhart said.