Man allegedly tells police he stole from Mizzou football tailgates ‘for years,’ is charged with 2 felonies

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor after he allegedly admitted to stealing from Mizzou football tailgate sites “for years.”

Reginald Dent, 64, was charged on Tuesday in Boone County with two counts of stealing more than $750 and a count of misdemeanor stealing. He posted a $9,500 bond on Dec. 10, according to court filings. An initial court appearance is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5.

The probable cause statement says he stole generators valued at $600, $1,200 and $2,200 from the same person’s tailgate near Mizzou Arena on Oct. 11, Nov. 8 and Nov. 15. Video allegedly showed a Ford truck registered to Dent pull up to a tailgate site on Nov. 8, and a man put a generator in the bed of the truck, the statement says.

Police interviewed Dent on Dec. 9 and he allegedly admitted taking the generators because he “believed the owners just left the generators there for the taking,” the statement says.  

Dent then allegedly said “he has been removing items such as coolers from tailgates for years,” according to court documents. He then claimed to have given the three generators to a former supervisor, the statement says.