Jefferson City man gets probation in theft case

John Calton
John Calton

A Jefferson City man has pleaded guilty to an amended charge in connection with thefts from unlocked vehicles in southeastern Cole County in March.

John Calton, 18, pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor stealing during a Tuesday hearing before Cole County Associate Circuit Judge Cotton Walker. He had been charged with one count of felony stealing, but prosecutors amended it to a misdemeanor.

Walker ordered Calton to complete two years of unsupervised probation and complete 100 hours of community service.

One victim reported a credit card was among items taken from a vehicle in the 1200 block of Markway Mills Court, according to a Cole County Sheriff's Department news release. Another victim reported a firearm had been stolen from a vehicle in the 2200 block of Moreau Terrace.

The credit card was found to have been used at Walmart on West Stadium Boulevard in Jefferson City. Thanks to video surveillance from the credit card use, authorities went to an apartment complex in the 2100 block of Dalton Drive, where Calton was arrested with assistance from the Jefferson City Police Department.