ARCHIE, Mo. — A tracking device placed on a stolen truck helps police track down two men suspected in five ATMs thefts and other crimes across the metro, according to court documents.
Prosecutors charged 25-year-old Sean Dwayne Johnson, III, of Grandview with:
- Second-degree burglary
- Stealing $750 or more
- Resisting arrest
- First-degree property damage
- Possession of burglary tools
- Tampering with a motor vehicle
Prosecutors also charged 38-year-old Andre Maurice Fell, of Grandview, with:
- Second-degree burglary
- Stealing $750 or more
- Resisting arrest
- First-degree property damage
- Tampering with a motor vehicle
Officers arrested the two men Thursday morning near Peculiar, Missouri.
The probable cause statement shows it all started hours earlier when a Kansas City, Missouri, police sergeant contacted Cass County Sheriff’s deputies around 3:30 a.m.
The KCPD officer told deputies there was a tracking device installed on a vehicle that had likely been used in a number of burglaries and stolen ATMS. The officer told deputies he believed the people in the vehicle could be “casing” for an ATM to steal in the Archie area, according to court documents.
As officers responded to the area, they received a call about a break-in at an Archie gas station.
Deputies arrived in the area and located the suspects’ truck around 4 a.m. The officers began chasing the suspects along northbound Interstate 49, when they refused to stop. The probable cause statement shows speeds during the chase reached 100 mph.
Officers stopped the suspect’s vehicle just south of J Highway in Peculiar.
The two men then ran away from the vehicle. Deputies used drones and K-9s to search for the suspects. During the search, deputies reported finding a gun in the suspects’ truck along with a cell phone that belonged to Fell.
Officers eventually located Johnson and Fell and arrested them.
While some deputies searched for the two suspects, others turned their attention to the crime scene.
According to the probable cause statement, surveillance video from the gas station showed the suspects breaking through glass to get into the business. They ripped the ATM from the wall and pushed it out the way they entered, according to the video. Deputies said the two men were inside the gas station for less than 90 seconds.
Court documents show both men confessed to the ATM theft. Through those confessions, officers believe the two men are behind at least five ATM burglaries as well as four other burglaries or attempted burglaries.
The suspects have only been charged with Thursday’s stolen ATM at this time.
