Three Doniphan residents may face charges after they allegedly stole a dozen tires from ultra-terrain vehicles for sale on the lot of Bluff Powersports on Highway 67 North.
Butler County authorities learned of the theft Tuesday morning when Michael Mueller reported several back tires on the business' UTVs had been stolen over the prior weekend.
One suspect has been arrested, while a probable cause is expected to be filed against a husband and wife, officials say.
Surveillance footage from the business showed a "white male enter the store parking lot from the fence area" and start to take off tires between 10:15 and 11:10 p.m., according to Deputy Gregory Phipps' report. The man was wearing a white shirt, blue jeans and ball cap, Phipps said.
"He had his face covered in an attempt to conceal his identity," Phipps said.
Once the tires were removed, the suspect, later identified as Robert Lee Branson, allegedly carried them toward the south end of the parking lot, Phipps said.
Deputies, Lt. Charlie Phelps' wrote in his report, went to other nearby businesses in an attempt to locate surveillance video of the suspects.
While at the nearby Ross Fuel Center, Phelps said, an employee reported seeing a black truck stay on the parking lot for about three hours Saturday night.
When they reviewed the fuel center's video footage, Phelps said, they saw a dark colored truck on the parking lot from 9:22 to 11:58 p.m.
"We observed a white male and white female get in and out of the truck several times while being parked on the parking lot for approximately three hours," Phelps said.
Just before midnight, he said, the truck left the parking lot and went north on the Outer Road toward Bluff Powersports.
From the footage, Phelps said, deputies were able to get a license plate number, which checked back to a Doniphan man.
Phelps said he and Investigator Brandon Lowe subsequently went to the man's Ripley County home, located off of Highway 160 West.
"Upon arrival, we observed an older ultra-terrain vehicle parked in the front yard of the residence," Phelps said. "We observed the vehicle had new tires on it due to stickers and green marks around the tires."
Phelps said contact was made with Bluff Powersports to get the make of the stolen tires.
The brand of tires on the UTV, Phelps said, matched what had been reported stolen.
While at the residence, Phelps said, an older woman drove up and identified herself as the mother of the man who lived at that residence.
Phelps said the woman provided them with a telephone number for her son.
Lowe, Phelps said, subsequently contacted the man by phone, who "stated Robert Branson had stolen the tires and wheels from Bluff Powersports."
Phelps said the man further reported that Branson lived in a camper parked in front of his residence.
Lowe, according to Phelps, subsequently made contact with Branson and arrested him on suspicion of stealing.
Phelps said the Doniphan man and his wife subsequently arrived at their residence.
Both, he said, gave written statements saying "they had dropped Mr. Branson at a church located by Bluff Powersports" on Saturday night.
Phelps said the couple further reported they picked Branson up just before midnight, and he allegedly was in possession of several wheels and tires.
"(The Doniphan man) stated he hauled the tires to his residence and put four of them on his UTV and put the others in a storage shed beside his residence," Phelps said.
After being given permission, Phelps said, he and Lowe recovered the tires from the shed and off the UTV.
A total of 12 wheels and tires were recovered, said Phelps, who indicated he saw a purple colored, four-door GMC pickup that matched the one he had seen in the surveillance video. It's license plate also reportedly matched.
"They went to steal a set (of tires) for their UTV," Phelps said. " ... Robert Branson went in and stole them. He came back with 12 of them.
"(The couple) helped him load them into their truck," Phelps said.
After his arrest, Branson, 58, was booked at the Butler County jail, where he also was being held for a parole violation.
Jail personnel report Branson went back to the Missouri Department of Corrections Thursday morning.
Branson, according to Casenet, pleaded guilty in March 2014 to two Class C felonies of stealing and was sentenced to concurrent four-year prison terms.
At that time, Branson also pleaded guilty to the Class C felony of second-degree arson. The execution of Branson's sentence was suspended, and he was placed on five years' supervised probation.
Phelps said the Doniphan couple was not arrested, but probable-cause statements will be sent to the Butler County Prosecuting Attorney's Office seeking felony stealing charges against them, as well as Branson. The names of the couple cannot be released by officials until a probable cause statement is filed.