Sex Offender Steals Patrol Car In Festus, Police Say

FESTUS, MO — A man is in custody after police say he stole a Jefferson County deputy's patrol car Wednesday night.

The deputy had stopped at a gas station in Festus when he said he saw the man acting suspiciously. The deputy ran the man's identification and discovered he had an outstanding warrant for failing to register as a sex offender.

The deputy arrested the man, but while the deputy was away from the car, the man somehow climbed into the driver's seat and drove away.

The man was arrested (again) early Thursday morning one county over, and the patrol car was recovered.

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.

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