KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — A northeast Missouri man is accused of stealing a car from a marijuana dispensary in Kirksville and fleeing from two law enforcement agencies before eventually being caught in Moberly.
That series of events started around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Stephen Lene, 22, of La Plata, is now facing charges of stealing a motor vehicle, first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle and resisting a lawful stop by fleeing.
According to court documents, Lene was refused service at a dispensary on Baltimore Street.
Police report that security video shows Lene then getting into a car that was running outside the dispensary and driving away.
Two-and-a-half hours later, a police officer spotted the vehicle driving in Kirksville.
Police attempted a traffic stop, but they say Lene fled, driving fast and recklessly, running 11 stop signs.
The pursuit was called off.
A brief time later, the Missouri State Highway Patrol attempted a traffic stop near La Plata. They say Lene fled again.
Late Wednesday night, Moberly police located Lene and the stolen car at a convenience store and arrested him.
Moberly officers said Lene admitted to taking the car, but he claimed he had permission.
Lene is being held in the Randolph County jail on $65,000 bond.