Four get stolen vehicle stuck in mud, arrested by police

Four Tennessee residents were in custody Wednesday night after Cape Girardeau police chased them down near Toys R Us after the men got their stolen vehicle stuck in the mud.

Two men were charged and held at the Cape Girardeau jail and two minors were referred to the juvenile authorities.

Raymond Leroy Fender III, 17, the driver, was charged with tampering with the 1982 Chevy Blazer, which police believe was stolen in Tennessee, said police spokesman Cpl. Rick Schmidt. Fender was also charged with misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and driving without a license. He remained in jail late Wednesday in lieu of $20,000 bond.

Passenger Lonnie Murray, 17, was also charged with tampering and resisting arrest. He was being held on $5,000 bond.

Schmidt said an off-duty officer saw a person looking in cars in the Target parking lot. He notified the police department, but the suspects drove off in the sport utility vehicle to Wal-Mart while police units were responding, Schmidt said.

The police tried to stop them near William Street and Interstate 55, but the men drove off, running through red lights. As Fender turned the car onto Silver Springs he drove off the shoulder and got stuck in the mud, Schmidt said. Two of the men got out of the car and ran towards Toys R Us, but officers apprehended them.

Schmidt said the men were driving in a car that was not theirs, but said they were not charged with auto theft. He said he was not sure why, but that the men may be charged in Tennessee, where the owner of the vehicle lives.