2 men accused of looting in Rolla after tornado hit

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two men from Phelps County have been charged with stealing more than $750 after they allegedly took 60 feet of fence paneling near a supermarket after a tornado.

Michael James McClearn and Ryan Dale Stagner, both of Newburg, Missouri, were arrested. McClearn posted a $25,000 bond on Wednesday, while Stagner is still being held at the Phelps County Jail on a $25,000 bond. A hearing for Stagner was held on Tuesday and a bond medication was denied. McClearn has hearings scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 1.

According to the probable cause statement, a Rolla police officer was patrolling near Price Chopper – a grocery store in the 1300 block of Forum Drive – on Saturday. The officer saw the men walk away from a white Dodge truck and go to the back parking lot of an apartment building.

The bed of the truck had 60 6-foot fence panels valued at $1,199.10. Rolla was damaged by a tornado on Friday night. Someone from the grocery store told police that the fence belongs to the property owner and they would want to press charges, the statement says.

McClearn allegedly told police that people that he thought were employees of the store told him they were throwing out the fence panels and told him he could take them, the statement says. He never spoke to the property owners or a manager at the store, the statement says.

Stagner alleged that McClearn invited him to pick up the panels, but didn’t know if McClearn had permission to take the panels.