Missing Texas trucker found at NW Missouri motel

A Texas truck driver whose tractor-trailer was found abandoned at a northwest Missouri gas station has been found safe at a motel 12 miles away.

Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Eric Tilford says a woman told the Clinton County Sheriff's Office on Monday night she had given 49-year-old Mike Howell of Huntsville, Texas, a ride to Cameron and dropped him off at a local motel.

Howell was reported missing after his wallet, cellphone and other personal items were found inside the truck at a Trex Mart along Interstate 35 near Lathrop. He was last seen Sunday morning.

Tilford says Cameron police officers and a Highway Patrol trooper contacted Howell, who was fine. He says Howell's truck had been disabled because of a problem with one of the axles.

This story was originally published March 18, 2014 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Missing Texas trucker found at NW Missouri motel."