Cape man accused of stealing, torching Lt. Gov. Kinder's vehicle pleads guilty

A Cape Girardeau man accused of stealing and torching Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder's car pleaded guilty last month and will learn his fate next week.

Jacob Shepard, 18, pleaded guilty Aug. 29 to stealing a motor vehicle and first-degree property damage. He will be sentenced Monday and faces up to seven years in prison for the stealing charge and up to four years for the property damage, according to a Missouri statute.

Shepard and Adam D. Cromer, 21, allegedly stole Kinder's 2009 Ford Flex on April 25 and rammed it into a brick wall at Shooters Gun Shop before torching it north of Cape Girardeau city limits on Highway 177. The car was a total loss, Kinder said in April.

Cromer was charged with stealing a motor vehicle, first-degree tampering and second-degree attempted burglary. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and is set to be in court again Oct. 11.