Three arrested for stolen property charges after Jefferson City tornado, police say

The Jefferson City police department arrested three people within 15 hours on charges related to stolen property in the aftermath of a devastating tornado that ripped through the city Wednesday night, police said in a release Saturday.

The first arrests came just after 3 p.m. Friday. Officers were called by a business owner about people on his property and found two men on motorcycles that had been reported stolen in Kansas City.

The men told police they had traveled to Jefferson City from Kansas City to see the tornado damage. When officers searched the stolen motorcycles they found narcotics, “tools associated with committing burglary,” and two handguns — one which had been reported as stolen by the Kansas City Police.

Charges are pending against the men for receiving stolen property, possession of narcotics and trespassing.

Around 4 a.m. Saturday morning officers arrested a man who had been seen rummaging through trucks. When officers arrived at the scene they found several Ameren UE trucks that had been entered and were missing tools. They also found 38-year-old Carson Bailey hiding in a hotel.

Bailey was arrested after he ran from police and is charged with stealing and resisting arrests.

The arrests come just days after a tornado swept through Jefferson City injuring 25 and destroying businesses, apartment complexes, subdivisions and trailer parks.

Another tornado killed three in Golden City in the Southwestern portion of Missouri the same night.