A Richland man faces a felony offense in connection with allegedly taking a tractor and hay rake from a local farm, according to documents filed in circuit court.
Timothy J. Cook, born 1992, is charged with one count of first-degree tampering with service of utility or institution.
A trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol responded July 3 to a report of a missing John Deere tractor valued at approximately $200,000, according to the case’s probable cause statement. A witness reported the tractor was missing from its farm and had been spotted at a truck stop with someone asleep inside.
Upon arrival, the statement says Cook was found inside the tractor and claimed it belonged to his family before later saying he was returning the vehicle when its owner arrived. The statement says a Vermeer hay rake valued at approximately $45,000 was also taken and found abandoned on a county road.
When asked why he stole the tractor, the statement quotes Cook as responding “the police keep running him” and that “he was told to leave town by Richland Police.”
The charges described above are merely an accusation and are not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
