Two arrested on suspicion of theft in Cape subdivision

Cape Girardeau County officers arrested two men believed to have been involved in a series of burglaries in the Hillcrest subdivision of Cape Girardeau County.

Cody Gustin, 18, of 709 Albert St., and Martin Aide, 20, of 3216 Lakewood Drive, were arrested Thursday and both charged with theft-related offenses.

Gustin faces one count of burglary, three counts of motor vehicle theft and three counts of theft. Aide was charged with two counts of theft.

The burglaries occurred within the past few weeks.

The items reported stolen in the rash of thefts included a 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe, taken from the residence at 232 S. Forester Drive, valued at about $6,000.

Two motorcycles were reported stolen from 202 Alpine Drive on Aug. 4.

In addition, several residents of the same neighborhood reported vehicle break-ins and stolen wallets, purses and electronic devices, according to a probable-cause statement by Eric Friedrich of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department.

One of the items stolen from a vehicle was a key to the Simply A Dollar store in Cape Girardeau belonging to the store's manager. The same day that theft was reported, Cape Girardeau police took a burglary report in response to a theft at the store and questioned Gustin, at which point he admitted to his involvement in both the store break-in and taking the key from the vehicle.