One person has been arrested in connection with the theft of construction equipment in Moniteau County.
Deputies were dispatched Feb. 20 to Cedar Ridge Road in McGirk for a reported theft of a S160 Bobcat brand skid steer loader, according to Moniteau County Sheriff’s Department reports.
The owners of the Bobcat stated, sometime during the night before, someone had entered the property and took the Bobcat from a building on the property. Deputies determined the suspects had driven to the rear of the building, loaded the Bobcat onto a trailer and left the area on Rocky Road.
Deputies tracked the suspect vehicle down several roads, which eventually took them to a shed in Kliever. They executed a search warrant on the property but did not locate the stolen Bobcat. They did, however, seize electronic video evidence from the location, which allowed them to determine the building was owned by Justin Moore, 38, of Kliever.
On the afternoon of Feb. 20, the Missouri Highway Patrol located Moore in Cole County. He led a trooper on a vehicle pursuit that ended with a foot chase, and was taken into custody.
Moore had been out on bond on a previous drug charge in Moniteau County. As per his bond conditions, he was asked to submit to a urinalysis. Moore refused this test and, on Feb. 22, was transported from the Cole County Jail to the Moniteau County Jail. Deputies then continued to investigate the theft of the Bobcat and gathered further evidence to include footprint and tire track analysis along with further video evidence.
On Wednesday, while still in custody, a warrant was issued for Moore for the theft of the Bobcat and burglary in Moniteau County. He now faces charges of second-degree burglary and stealing a motor vehicle.
Moniteau County Sheriff Tony Wheatley said his department has identified additional suspects and more arrests are expected.
“The Bobcat that was stolen belongs to a small business that has a hard time operating without this piece of equipment,” Wheatley said in a news release. “We are asking the public to be on the lookout for this Bobcat, which is a model S160 white and orange in color.”
Anyone with further information about this case is urged to contact the Moniteau County Sheriff at 573-796-2525 or leave an anonymous tip at moniteaucountysheriffsoffice.com.