Man steals truck, then gun from patrol car, in O’Fallon, Missouri

by Michael Bittner

KMOV.com

Posted on December 15, 2009 at 2:43 PM

Updated Tuesday, Dec 15 at 6:33 PM

(KMOV) -- O’Fallon, Mo., police are looking for two men who they say stole a pickup truck and a gun from a St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department patrol vehicle Tuesday morning.

Police say a man stole a white 2005 Ford F-150 pickup truck just after 6 a.m. Tuesday morning in O’Fallon’s Bryan Valley subdivision. They say two men came to the neighborhood together in a black or dark colored truck before one of the men got out and stole the pickup. The pair then traveled a short distance to the home of the officer where they forcibly entered the locked patrol car and stole a handgun, according to police.

The owner of the stolen truck, Robert Steinhoff, is a concrete refinisher and his wife says his tools are tied to his livelihood. Steinhoff’s truck was stolen after he left it running to warm up while he waited inside his home.

“All of his tools were in that truck...in that trade you're expected to have your tools when you show up for a job,” Laura Steinhoff said. “No tools, no work.”

News 4’s Marc Cox reports the Steinhoff’s auto insurance will cover the truck, but not the tools inside. The tools were worth thousands of dollars, the Steinhoff’s say.

Police say the officer whose gun was stolen is not in trouble because he had it locked in his patrol car, which the department considers secure.

Police say both trucks were driven by white men. The stolen truck has Missouri plates and the license plate number is 0KL227. O’Fallon police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact them at (636) 379-5579.