Zachary Tyler Leist, 36, of Crystal City allegedly stole a 2015 Jeep Renegade from a home in the 100 block of Broadway Avenue in Crystal City. Officers found the SUV two days later on the side of a road in Crystal City, court records show.
Leist was arrested on Monday, Aug. 18, and as of Tuesday, Aug. 19, he was being held on a $4,000 bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, according to court documents.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on June 25 charged Leist with first-degree tampering, a class D felony. However, assistant prosecuting attorney Erik McCreary requested the court consider the charge a class C felony, which is punishable by three to 10 years in prison, due to Leist being a prior offender, court records said.
According to court documents, Leist was found guilty of resisting arrest in September 2020 and possession of a controlled substance in April 2024 in Jefferson County. A judge suspended execution of a nine-year sentence for the drug charge and placed Leist on five years’ probation.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, Leist allegedly stole the Renegade at about 11 a.m. Sept. 2, 2024. He had been asked to leave the home on Broadway Avenue prior to allegedly stealing the SUV.
Crystal City Police found the SUV on the side of a road, and there was interior damage. The estimated cost to repair the damage was $745, the report said.