Cape police arrest second suspect in Kinder car theft

Cape Girardeau police arrested a 19-year-old Cape Girardeau man Thursday who they suspect was involved in stealing and setting fire to Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder's campaign vehicle.

The Ford Flex, registered to Friends of Peter Kinder, was found torched and abandoned north of the city limits on Highway 177 early Tuesday morning.

Jake Shepard, with 21-year-old Adam D. Cromer, allegedly stole the vehicle from Kinder's residence in Cape Girardeau. Authorities have said the two backed the vehicle into Shooter's Gun Shop. Nothing was stolen from the business, a store manager said earlier this week.

Both men are charged with stealing a motor vehicle, first-degree tampering and second-degree attempted burglary.

Shepard is being held on a $25,000 bond, and Cromer is in custody on a $20,000 bond.

"I cannot laud the Cape Police Department enough. I can't keep enough praise on them for the incredible, professional manner they proceeded with here," Kinder said Tuesday after the first suspect's arrest.

Cromer had his first appearance before a judge Thursday regarding the car case and has a pending misdemeanor case in Perry County. The warrant he was arrested on Tuesday was for the Perry County case, where he's charged with leaving the scene of an accident.

A hearing date has not yet been set for Shepard.

Police were looking for a person who stopped to help the two men push the vehicle out of the mud.

ehevern@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

1603 Mississippi St., Cape Girardeau, MO