A Jefferson City man was charged with stealing a vehicle early Monday morning.
Court records show Michael Sayles, 38, of 5208 Collier Court, is charged with first-degree tampering and resisting arrest.
Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statements show the vehicle was stolen from a residence in the 200 block of Madison Street around 12:30 a.m.
Just after 2 a.m., officers responded to a suspicious activity call in the 1900 block of Cedar Hill for a report of a man looking into vehicles in the area. A resident told officers the man, later identified as Sayles, got into a vehicle matching the description and license plate of the car stolen from Madison Street.
That vehicle was eventually located at Sunrise Lane and Sunset Lake Road in Cole County where Cole County Sheriff's Department deputies followed him over to Southwest Boulevard in Jefferson City. Deputies activated their emergency lights in the 1000 block of Southwest Boulevard and Sayles pulled into a parking lot. He got out of the vehicle and fled on foot. Authorities took Sayles into custody after a chase of about 100 yards.
When questioned, Sayles denied stealing the vehicle, saying he was a passenger despite deputies seeing him get out of the driver's seat.
Sayles has five prior stealing related convictions including one for first-degree tampering.