Columbia man arrested after Lake Ozark chase

TUSCUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man accused of leading authorities on a chase and stealing a police car Saturday in Lake Ozark has been charged with four felonies in connection with the incident.

Kenneth Rybolt, 26, of Columbia, is charged in Camden County with burglary, vehicle theft, property damage and stealing and in Miller County with first-degree assault and resisting arrest.

Lake Ozark police say Rybolt led them on a chase starting in the parking lot of Marcus Theatre after officers were sent to a shoplifting call at Kohl's. Police blocked in a stolen vehicle Rybolt was driving, but he rammed a police cruiser and got away, hitting another vehicle head-on and then crashing on a highway, the police department said.

Rybolt tried to carjack another vehicle after the crash but was arrested, police say. He then got free inside a police cruiser and stole it, police say. Lake Ozark police say Rybolt later broke into an unoccupied house in Camden County, stole a personal watercraft key and was attempting to steal the craft when water patrol officers arrived. Rybolt then tried to hide in the water under a dock, police say, but a Lake Ozark officer jumped into the water and arrested him.

A vehicle Rybolt stole from Columbia, which he was driving when the chase began, was totaled, police said.

Rybolt was in the Miller County Jail on Monday.