Three individuals have been arrested and charged in connection with the recovery of a van stolen in Springfield and found in Ava.
Police Chief Reggie Johnson said the Ava Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol worked together on the case to bring it to a quick conclusion.
Three individuals, Trevor Pippin, 18, Brandi Graham, 31, and Jordan Green, 21, were arrested and charged with receiving stolen property; unlawful use of drug paraphernalia and distribution; and additional drug charges stated as, “deliver, manufacture, produce or attempt to, or possess with intent to distribute, deliver, manufacture, produce a controlled substance.”
Bond for each of the individuals was set at $60,000.
A statement from the Ava Police Department says city officer Greg Byerley was attempting to serve a felony warrant for 1st degree tampering with a motor vehicle on a male subject who was served after he ran out of the back of his apartment and hid in an adjoining building in south Ava.
During the search for the subject, Byerley and Ava officer Tim Stuart found several items that had been stolen in a previous incident on which Officer Stuart was working.
Also located at that time and determined to be stolen out of Springfield was a utility van.
After the male subject was located and taken into custody, Officer Stuart and Trooper Rob Crewse of the Missouri Highway Patrol, secured the scene while Officer Byerley applied for and received a search warrant on the residence.
At about 5 p.m. on Oct. 11, the Ava Police Department, assisted by the Highway Patrol and the Sheriff’s Department, served a search warrant at the residence located at 804C South Jefferson.
Upon entry into the residence, a partial active methamphetamine lab was discovered. Also recovered were several stolen items which were related to the case involving the stolen utility van.
The three individuals named above were arrested and charged at that time.
