Indiana man accused of stealing wheels from school district car

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Osage County authorities charged an Indiana man Tuesday with five felonies and a misdemeanor for allegedly stealing two wheels from an Osage County R-2 car.

Tanner M. Cripe of South Wabash, Indiana, was charged with two counts of felony stealing and one count each of tampering, second-degree burglary and first-degree property damage. He was also issued a trespassing citation, according to court records.

The Osage County R-2 School District in Linn reported to the Osage County Sheriff's Department that two wheels on a district-owned Chevrolet Malibu had been stolen around Oct. 15, according to a probable cause statement. The wheels were valued at nearly $2,500, the statement says.

A video showed a man pull up in another vehicle at about 4 a.m., and switch the wheels from the Malibu with two wheels from his car, the statement says. Investigators linked the vehicle to a burglary in Linn and posted information about the vehicle and the driver on Facebook.

A person contacted the sheriff's office to identify the suspect on Oct. 17, according to the statement. Investigators traced the photos back to booking photos from Wasbash County, Indiana, and identified Cripe, the statement says.

Cripe had been working for a business that runs pilot cars for oversize loads, the statement says.

A warrant was issued for Cripe's arrest with a $100,000 bond.