Two area men arrested, charged with receiving stolen vehicle parts

Working off information supplied by a salvage yard, Scott County investigators arrested two local men Wednesday on charges of receiving stolen property, in this case, farm vehicle parts.

Charles E. Gross, 47, of Cape Girardeau, and Lee R. Dykes, 44, of Sikeston, Mo., were charged with class C felonies, crimes that carry penalties of up to seven years' incarceration.

A Scott County detective received a complaint Jan. 30 from someone saying three metal radiators had been taken from his property, according to a probable-cause statement signed by Branden Caid of the Scott County Sheriff's Department.

The victim told police that he'd contacted a local salvage yard to discover that three radiators fitting the description of his own were recently purchased from Dikes and Gross, the statement said.

The salvage yard provided police with a copy of the invoice, showing that the two men received $457.50 for the parts, which weighed 305 pounds. Investigators also obtained a surveillance tape showing the two men making the transaction, according to the statement.

Gross

While police were still at the salvage yard, Gross and Dykes allegedly returned with another load of metal to sell, and, upon questioning, said they had found the radiators they sold the day before by the side of the road near Scott City.

Both men were released on $10,000 bonds each.

Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said the theft of metals such as copper and aluminum have increased dramatically over the past year, and hopes that continued arrests and convictions will make people stop and think before they try to take someone else's property.

"It's become a huge problem," said Walter.

At a recent copper theft task force meeting, Walter said, he'd listened to dozens of horror stories across the state. He said he has been considering setting up a discussion group with local farmers and scrap dealers to get some opinions on how they can work with law enforcement to combat metal theft.

"In this case, we were able to make contact with the buyer, and he's vigilant and he's watching things on his own," Walter said.

Most scrap dealers in the area recognize who their regular clients are, and are prudent enough to gather information about anyone they feel may be trying to sell stolen metal, he said.

"We get good cooperation from them," Walter said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245