Benton County residents were alerted on Tuesday, July 16, by the Sheriff’s Department, they were looking for a man that had attempted to steal a truck located at 34154 Highway 65. The BCSD was being aided by Pettis County deputies, MSHP and the MCD.
The owner of the property at 34154 Highway 65, rural Warsaw, and his employees were returning after work and found a stranger trying to drive away in an employee’s truck. Luckily there was a pipe fence blocking the get-away path and their incoming vehicle blocked the driveway. The would-be thief abandoned the truck and fled into the brush. The property owner then discovered the fugitive’s Dodge truck concealed in his garage.
His attempt had failed and authorities believed he would try to secure another vehicle to make his escape. Residents were alerted there would be a K-9 unit and a drone searching. Residents were advised if they saw the man to call 911. He was not believed to be armed but no one should take a chance.
One resident called 911 and reported a man was skulking in his mother’s yard. Lance Joseph Parker, Marble Falls, Arkansas was apprehended near Highway 7 and Lickingteller Avenue. Authorities believe he burglarized a residence in Hickory County before he arrived in the Benton County area. Parker was arrested and charged with tampering with a motor vehicle in the 1st degree, a Class D felony.
