Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder only planned to be in Cape Girardeau a short time Monday, until a police officer told him at 6 a.m. his 2009 Ford Flex had been stolen and found torched and left on a county road.

"It's burnt to a cinder. It is unrecognizable," Kinder said Monday afternoon, shortly after his third visit to the Cape Girardeau Police Department. "It was found at 5:30 this morning in some field, I don't even know where."

A Cape Girardeau man has been arrested in connection to the crime, according to Darin Hickey, spokesman for the police department.

Adam D. Cromer, 21, was charged with stealing a motor vehicle, first-degree tampering and second-degree attempted burglary. He is being held on a $20,000 surety bond.

Police said that before burning the vehicle, which was registered to the Friends of Peter Kinder, north of Cape Girardeau city limits on Highway 177, the suspect drove the Ford through a brick wall at Shooter's Gun Shop.

Shooter's manager Rowedy Enderle said they backed the vehicle up almost directly in front of the main entrance. The men were unsuccessful in stealing any firearms from the gun shop, he added.

"I guess the alarm scared them away," Enderle said.

The shop was open all day, and Enderle said the damage was nearly fixed by 4 p.m. The cost of repairing the damage was at least $2,000, he said.

Kinder, who spoke at a naturalization ceremony in Cape Girardeau late Monday morning, said his vehicle is a total loss.

"I was really shocked and feeling stupid that I left the keys in it," he said.

Kinder said detectives told him there were two men arrested for the alleged crime, but Hickey couldn't confirm that at 5 p.m. Kinder said he was also told the alleged suspects drove his vehicle through the McDonald's drive-thru on Broadway. Hickey also couldn't confirm that Monday.

The police department said in a news release that it is seeking help identifying a person who stopped to help push the vehicle out of the mud. It is not believed the person knew of any of the suspects' criminal activities.

Anyone with information should contact the Cape Girardeau Police Department at 335-6621 or the Crime Stoppers Line at 332-0500.

ehevern@semissorian.com

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