The Morgan County Sheriff says an 18 year old has confessed to a string of burglaries in three central Missouri counties. When the teenager from Eldon was arrested, deputies recovered thousands of dollars in US currency and merchandise stolen from business.
Since his arrest, Jared Stark has also been linked to other burglaries in Eldon, and Osage Beach.



FULL PRESS RELEASE

In the early morning hours of February 11, 2009 the Patrol Division of the Morgan County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to a Rocky Mount business to investigate a burglary. When the Deputy arrived he found the front door of the business pried open and other damage. The damages were estimated in the tens of thousands of dollars, including to an ATM machine inside the building.

The pattern of this burglary matched that of an earlier burglary at the same business discovered on December 23, 2008. It also matched similar burglaries in Cole and Miller Counties, as well as Eldon and Osage Beach. Those cases were being investigated jointly by those agencies, with the sharing of information that linked the crimes together.

Information was received by the Miller County Sheriff's Office that led to the identification of a suspect. The Morgan County Sheriff's Detective Division, along with the Miller County Sheriff's Dept., the Eldon Police Dept., Mid Missouri Drug Task Force, and the Osage Beach Police Dept. followed up on this information. Thousands of dollars in US currency merchandise from the business, and burglar tools and other evidence were located and seized.

Investigators with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office and the US Postal Inspection Service interviewed the suspect. He gave a full confession of his involvement. He also provided information implicating him other crimes not yet linked to him.

“This was an excellent example of local agencies sharing information and working together toward a common goal,” Sheriff Jim Petty said.

The suspect, Jared R. Stark, (18) of Eldon, is currently being held in the Morgan County Adult Detention Center on charges of Burglary, Stealing, and Property Damage, all felonies, with a bond of $50,000.00 cash only for the Morgan County crimes. Additional charges are expected.
It should be noted that all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.