Two men arrested in theft of classic Charger

Two men were in custody Wednesday, accused of stealing a 1969 Dodge Charger from a storage unit off Lexington Avenue, Capt. David James of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department said.

Jason Goodman of Marble Hill, Missouri, and Jeremiah Hamilton of Jackson face charges of second-degree burglary and theft of property worth more than $25,000 in connection with the theft of the car, which is valued at more than $30,000, James said in a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon.

"It was a real nice car," James said.

The men are in jail on $20,000 cash or surety bond, he said.

Goodman and Hamilton are accused of breaking into the storage unit and hot-wiring the car early Monday morning, James said.

The sheriff's department posted information about the stolen -- and highly conspicuous -- car on Facebook, and several people reported seeing it, James said.

The shiny, royal blue vehicle has a white top and a large white stripe across the back.

"The car stands out. It's really unique," James said. " ... We started chasing all those little bits and pieces of information."

On Tuesday night, a Jackson police officer stopped a black Dodge Challenger on East Jackson Boulevard and found the suspects, James said.

The stolen Charger turned up Wednesday morning, "stashed away" in a garage in Jackson, he said.

"Car's OK. It's not damaged except for, I think, the area of the ignition -- they hot-wired it," James said. "Old-school hot-wiring, you know."

Online court records show Goodman was set for trial later this month on a pair of domestic assault charges.

He has had several previous run-ins with the law, beginning in 2011, when he pleaded guilty to marijuana possession. In 2012, he pleaded guilty to possession of a methamphetamine precursor with intent to manufacture the drug and distribution or manufacturing of a controlled substance.

Also in 2012, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft and trespassing, and he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft last year.

Hamilton also has several prior offenses, beginning with a DWI case in 2000, online court records show. In 2002, he pleaded guilty to driving while revoked and driving without a valid license, and in 2005, a jury found him guilty of misdemeanor assault.

He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in 2008.

In March, Hamilton was charged with failure to pay more than a year's worth of child support.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau County, MO