Three Illinois residents who were originally detained Monday for panhandling in Jefferson City have been charged with possessing a Cadillac that had been reported stolen from Florida.
Hunter Whitson, 23; Justin Jesse, 18; and Charly Jesse, 20, were each charged with one count of first-degree tampering.
A police probable cause statement said officers were told a female, Charly Jesse, had approached a man in the Eastland Plaza area on Schotthill Woods Drive asking for money for gas.
Officers found a Cadillac with Georgia license plates in a parking lot and later learned that the vehicle was stolen from Florida.
Officers talked with Justin Jesse and Hunter Whitson, who were in the vehicle, and later Charly Jesse, who had walked up to the car.
A search of the vehicle found identification from all three individuals, and all were from the state of Illinois.
The three had told officers they were from Georgia.