A Monterey man was arrested Tuesday after the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department received a report of stolen scrap metal.
Larry Leohmer told police that he had a scrap pile of metal near the old grain elevator in Monterey and he said on Monday night, he observed a 375 gallon fuel tank, an old washer and a metal threader on the scrap pile. Those items were missing Tuesday and he had not given permission to anyone to remove those items. He later saw a man driving a red pickup truck with those items in the back.
The officer found the vehicle at a residence on Center Street. The officer knocked on the door and no one came to the door. He ordered a tow truck to remove the truck containing the suspected stolen property. After 15 minutes, the homeowner, Bart Shank, came out of his residence and asked why police were in front of his home. The officer told him the situation and while they were talking, two other residents stopped by the property to confront Shank about items stolen from their property. Shank reportedly told police that he and his friend, Pete Rowe, had been scrapping old farm parts, fencing and other items from the Monterey area. When police and Bart Shank arrived to speak to Rowe at an address on Hazel Blvd, the occupants said they had never heard of Pete Rowe and they had been living at that residence for the past two months.
Bart Shank was then arrested and he has a preliminary charge of Possession of Stolen Property. This case has been forwarded to the Pulaski County Prosecutor’s Office for further review.
