ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A man accused of stealing big-ticket items multiple times causing several high-speed police pursuits this year in St. Louis County is behind bars.
Police arrested James Roger Paul Collier earlier this month in connection with several crimes. St. Louis County prosecutors have charged Collier with two counts of stealing ($750 or more) and three counts of resisting arrest by fleeing (creating substantial risk of injury).
Authorities began investigating thefts tied to Collier in March, though police reports indicate he had been stealing expensive items as early as February.
According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Collier stole items from the Lowe’s store in Chesterfield on Feb. 21 and 23. Collier was identified weeks later through surveillance footage.
In the first reported instance, he placed an EGO Power Station in his cart (valued around $1,000), and scanned a separate item on top of the box for $99, then left the store. In the second reported instance, he retrieved a Kitchenaid range hood (valued around $1,400), but scanned a bar code for a $33.73 shower rod at the self-checkout. A witness reported the second instance to police.
In March, police went to Collier’s residence on record, and the homeowner consented to officers searching the residence for defendant. The power generator was found, but Collier was not there. After several weeks of investigating, police issued a warrant for Collier.
In recent weeks, police spotted Collier on three separate occasions around St. Louis County; June 2 and July 12 in Chesterfield and July 13 at an undisclosed location. In each instance, Collier reportedly drove away from officers and speeded along a road or highway, causing police to quickly terminate pursuits.
Police say Collier was arrested on July 16 in Maryland Heights on active warrants. Per court records, he admitted to police he was driving a wanted vehicle on July 13.
If convicted, Collier could spend up to seven years in prison for each stealing charge and four years in prison on each resisting arrest charge. He is jailed on a $50,000 and had a preliminary hearing over his charges set for Aug. 21, per Missouri court records.