On January 12, a Higginsville Police Detective conducted a traffic stop on a subject for a traffic violation.

A news release says, during the course of the stop, it was learned that the single occupant of the vehicle was a subject HPD had been contacted about by a neighboring agency for suspicious activity near storage units. The information provided stated this subject also was being looked at in neighboring counties for storage unit thefts.

The subject was on felony probation in the state of Missouri for burglary and possession of burglary tools. Consent was gained to search the vehicle, and during that search, officers say they located approximately two grams of a substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine, eight hypodermic needles, a silver spoon with cotton balls and items that are consistent with burglary tools.

The subject was transported to the Lafayette County jail pending charges from the Lafayette County prosecutor’s office. On January 13, the prosecutor’s office informed HPD that prosecution was being delayed and the subject will be released.

HPD officials say the subject has a lengthy history with a total of 15 felony arrests and convictions in Johnson, Henry, Pettis and Greene Counties. These felony convictions include material to manufacture meth, two counts of property damage, four counts of tampering with a motor vehicle, two counts of forgery, two counts of burglary, two counts of receiving stolen property, two counts of felony possession of burglary tools and unlawful possession of an illegal weapon. The subject currently has an active felony case pending for stealing a motor vehicle/watercraft/aircraft and prior stealing offender in another county.

HPD officials say that are “providing this information to our citizens to let you know we are doing what we can to catch criminals like this subject who would victimize our citizens. In the current state of the criminal justice system, we cannot guarantee these individuals will be kept out of the community even after we catch them. If you see a subject walking the streets who is on Missouri Probation and Parole who was just arrested for a new felony, please know that we are doing what we can under the current restraints we are dealing with to protect our citizens and their property.”