A Kansas City man has been placed on five years supervised probation in connection with trying to steal from Jefferson City businesses damaged by the May 2019 tornado.
Bradley Hedrick, 40, pleaded guilty during a hearing before Cole County Judge Jon Beetem to one count of receiving stolen property. Prior to the hearing, prosecutors dismissed four counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, one count of possession of burglary tools, two counts of receiving stolen property and two counts of possession of a controlled substance in this case.
Last November, another Kansas City man charged in this case, Adam Brandt, 40, was found guilty by a Cole County jury of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon, possession of burglary tools, two counts of receiving stolen property and one count of possession of a controlled substance. In March, Beetem sentenced Brandt to five years in prison.
Hedrick and Brandt were in the 1700 block of Four Seasons Drive on May 24, 2019, and were found by the property owner rummaging through property on the lot, which had storm damage, according to Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statements.
A witness told police they had told the two men to leave the property. Police later spotted the men in the 300 block of Flora Drive riding motorcycles. One of the men told officers they had come from Kansas City to look at the destruction. One of the motorcycles didn't have license plates. Neither man claimed to own the motorcycles.
Both men were taken into custody, and officers found both motorcycles had been stolen out of Kansas City.
Officers searched the motorcycles and reportedly found several illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia. They also reported finding two stolen handguns along with numerous screwdrivers, wrenches and bolt cutters.
Authorities later learned Hedrick and Brandt were on federal probation and had extensive criminal histories of stealing, narcotics violations and resisting arrest.