Jefferson City man gets probation, fine for vehicle thefts

A Jefferson City man was placed on five years of supervised probation and ordered to pay more than $18,000 in restitution for pleading guilty to charges in connection with two vehicle theft cases.

Dominic Russell, 27, was charged with two counts of second-degree burglary, one count of first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle and one count of second-degree tampering with a motor vehicle.

Jefferson City police officers were called to Town and Country Motors on Christy Drive in reference to a burglary in June 2016.

Officers arrived on the scene to find the back door of the business had been forced open. One vehicle had been stolen, and the key lock box was forced open.

Officers later stopped Russell and took him to the police department for an interview, according to the police department probable statement.

Russell told police he forced open the door at Town and Country and removed the keys from the lock box. He said he drove the vehicle to Dewberry Drive and parked it there. Police officers and members of the Cole County Sheriff's Department located the vehicle in the 3900 block of Dewberry Drive.

Russell later told authorities he planned to take the vehicle to St. Louis and sell it for cash.

Police said he also admitted to committing another vehicle theft. In that case, the vehicle was taken from Storey Motors on Stadium Boulevard, where there was also forced entry to get inside and get keys for the vehicle.

Video from a neighboring business showed two men entering the car dealership, with one appearing to be a lookout for the other man.

A few minutes later, one of the men left on foot and the other in a vehicle. The man driving the vehicle resembled Russell, police said.

The vehicle was stopped in Foristell before it could be put in the national database as stolen, so the officer let the vehicle go.

During an interview at the police station, Russell told authorities he went into the business to get keys to steal the vehicle. Russell said they were going to take the vehicle to St. Louis and pay an unknown individual $500 for it.