A Troy man accused of stealing a car Friday morning was arrested after being coaxed from a tree he climbed to elude authorities. Mark Alan Staats Jr., 28, crashed the car he allegedly stole from a …
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A Troy man accused of stealing a car Friday morning was arrested after being coaxed from a tree he climbed to elude authorities. Mark Alan Staats Jr., 28, crashed the car he allegedly stole from a residence on Highway M, authorities said. The car crashed through a fence at the intersection of Links and Paul roads and came to a rest in a field. Staats fled the scene but was located in nearby woods about 30 feet up in a tree. Officers followed footprints in the snow to the tree where Staats was hiding. After first threatening to jump, Staats surrendered and was taken into custody by Warren County deputies without incident around 9 a.m. According to a probable cause statement, Staats allegedly stole the 2003 Gold Ford Taurus, which was parked and running in a driveway in the 11000 block of Highway M, around 8 a.m. As deputies responded to the area, they were notified that a Foristell police officer was in pursuit of the vehicle southbound on Highway O. Staats turned onto Links Road and as he came upon the intersection with Paul Road, he crashed through a barbed-wire fence and came to a rest in the snow-packed field. The Ford Taurus suffered damage to the front and rear bumpers. Following his arrest, deputies located a bank card and and credit card belonging to the victim in his coat pocket. The credit cards were removed from the victim’s purse, authorities said. Staats was charged with two felony counts for first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle and stealing a credit card and a misdemeanor count for leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident. Staats made his first court appearance on the new charges Tuesday. Staats had an active outstanding warrant for his arrest, according to online court records. The warrant was issued last month when he failed to appear in court for operating a motor vehicle while his license was suspended. His lengthy criminal history includes convictions for assaulting a law enforcement officer, second-degree burglary, drug possession, manufacturing of a controlled substance and passing bad checks.
