Stolen tire-company truck turns up in Chicago

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Chicago police officers recovered a truck stolen from Raben Tire in Scott City, but the 95 tires shoved into it and another truck were nowhere to be found.

Cpl. Joey Hann of the Scott City Police Department said a tip from a clerk at Rhodes 101 in Scott City on Tuesday helped him find the truck. The clerk said two men driving a Raben truck full of tires bought gasoline there at about 1:30 a.m. Monday, and a woman who was with the group but driving another car asked for change so she could call Chicago.

Hann contacted Chicago police, who said they found the truck on 11th Street.

"It was a little banged up and scratched, but they didn't know how many scratches were on it beforehand," Hann said. "It appeared to be cleaned up and wiped down to remove fingerprints."

Now Raben must pay a $185 towing and impound fee to get the truck back, he said.

Dan Richardson, manager of Raben Tire, said earlier this week the stolen tires were worth from $200 to $350 each. The thieves stole a two-ton truck from a nearby liquor distributorship late Sunday or early Monday, used it to crash the gates, then abandoned it and filled a Raben truck and a truck of their own with the tires.

Anyone with further information about the theft may call Hann at 264-2121.