David E. Odem, 37, is under arrest after a string of truck thefts in Sedalia Sunday.
Pettis County Sheriff Brad Anders reported that in the early morning hours Sunday, a black Chevy truck was stolen from Casey’s, 3050 S. Limit Ave. Sedalia police officers briefly pursued the vehicle to the city limits where the pursuit was terminated. Pettis County Deputies located the vehicle near U.S. Highway 65 and Meadowlark Lane and a traffic stop was attempted. Odem fled south at a high rate of speed.
“It appears he was out at some relatives’ or friend of family here in town and eventually stole one of their vehicles,” Anders explained, Tuesday. “That vehicle was dropped off at Dominos where he went over to Casey’s and stole the black truck.”
Deputies halted the pursuit when the truck crossed the median into the oncoming traffic lanes, but a deputy observed Odem heading back north and eventually turning east on Rose Road.
Contact was lost but the truck was found in a nearby field. K9 Lord and Sgt. Matthew Long began tracking Odem but lost the scent. The vehicle was towed from the scene and a search warrant was sought and granted for the vehicle’s processing.
Sunday at 10:15 a.m. a second truck, a red 1979 Chevy C10 was reported stolen from Iris Road. As the report was being taken, a trooper located the truck at Domino’s Pizza, 3200 S. Limit Ave. It had the windows broken out and the ignition punched. Odem was determined to be the suspect during the investigation and the truck was processed and released to the owners.
Around 2:15 p.m. Sunday, information was obtained that the suspect in that pursuit and the two stolen vehicles may be at Walmart in a white Ford F-350.
“There were some citizens that were aware of his presence and what he was driving in what they believed was a stolen truck,” Anders said. “They found him out at Walmart and called us.”
Anders, deputies, police officers and Pettis County Prosecutor Phillip Sawyer responded to the scene and ultimately made contact with Odom. Photographs from Casey’s were compared to Odom, which matched, and he was arrested. Investigation revealed the white F-350 he drove to Walmart was also stolen but the owners were unaware of the theft.
An inventory was started on the Ford at which time evidence of other crimes were discovered. Deputies backed out of the truck, had it towed, and a search warrant was sought to go through the vehicle and retrieve stolen items. It appears two burglaries occurred that are believed to be directly related to Odom, both of which occurred overnight.
While this was occurring this morning, someone attempted to break into the car wash in Green Ridge. A citizen chased the individual towards Katy Trail State Park before losing sight of the suspect. However, a truck was located near the Katy Trail that had been involved in previous thefts. This truck was towed, and a search warrant was sought and granted for its processing. At this time, this incident is believed to be unrelated to the Odom spree, but further investigation will follow.
Odom is in the Pettis County Jail on a 24-hour hold. Charges being sought are as follows:
First-degree tampering-two counts
Second-degree burglary-two counts
Felony resisting arrest
“We’re glad that he is locked away,” Anders said. “Hopefully he won’t be able to wreak anymore havoc here in Pettis County for quite some time.”
More charges are expected to follow regarding the theft of the red Chevy. Odom is also being held on a full U.S. Extradition Warrant for grand theft auto and burglary out of the State of Florida.
