Jackson police describe night of anger, car crashes, drug possession by 18-year-old

By the time an 18-year-old Jackson man had finished his Thursday night, he had wrecked two vehicles belonging to relatives, punched two holes in the drywall in the basement of his relatives’ house, assaulted one of the relatives when he forcibly took keys for a truck away and had marijuana and prescription medication found on him and in a car after he was arrested, police said.

Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers arrested Aaron Vance Statler, 18, on suspicion of driving while intoxicated Thursday.

The Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Statler with felony theft, felony third-degree domestic assault and felony delivery of a controlled substance.

His bond was set at $7,500 cash or surety with the condition Statler not have any contact with his relatives involved in the incident.

There have not been charges filed related to Statler’s alleged driving while intoxicated.

Deputy Carrie Berry responded to a report of an assault after 8:30 p.m. in the 500 block of County Road 349, according to a probable-cause statement filed in the case by Berry.

Berry saw a black Chevrolet Malibu parked in the garage had significant damage to the passenger side of the vehicle, matching damage a car had sustained when striking a utility pole near Highway 25 and County Road 318 after it was driven from the scene of an accident, Berry wrote.

Berry also noticed damage to a garage door, according to the statement.

Statler’s relatives, with whom Statler was living, allowed him to use the Malibu to commute to work, and that evening he brought the vehicle home with significant damage, Berry wrote. Statler told them he struck a tree trying to avoid hitting a deer, according to the statement.

Statler said he wanted to leave the house again and asked to use his relatives’ white pickup truck, Berry wrote. The relative refused because Statler had been in an accident that night, according to the statement.

Statler responded by punching a hole in the wall of his relatives’ drywall and fighting the relative for the keys to the truck, Berry wrote.

They fell to the ground when Statler tried to land a punch, and Statler cut the relatives right hand with a key ring during the struggle, according to the statement.

Statler backed the car into the garage door, creating the damage, before leaving the second time, Berry wrote.

Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers found the truck in a ditch off County Road 349 and arrested Statler, finding a bottle of Norco painkiller pills in his pocket, according to the statement.

Berry found marijuana, a digital scale and several sandwich bags in the trunk of the Malibu after the relatives gave consent to search the vehicle, Berry wrote.

One of the relatives said Statler stole the Norco pills from her, according to the statement.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

500 block County Road 349, Jackson, Mo.