ST. LOUIS — A man is facing multiple felonies after he admitted to police that he stole two cars in south St. Louis by towing them away in mid-April. A neighbor says he was about to take a third car before she confronted him.
According to charging documents, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said 47-year-old Wendell Bryant II stole two cars from different locations in south St. Louis within three days. He allegedly towed them away without their owners' permission. Bryant pleaded not guilty at his court hearing Friday despite admitting to the crimes during an interview with police, authorities said.
Prosecutors on Thursday charged Bryant with two counts of stealing a motor vehicle and one count of property damage for the thefts. Each charge is a felony.
On April 15, police said Bryant towed a woman's Pontiac Grand Prix from her home near the 3600 block of Liermann Avenue. Detectives found nearby surveillance video that showed Bryant and his tow truck with the woman's Pontiac loaded onto it before driving away from her home.
Two days later, someone called the police after seeing a Honda Accord being stolen from the intersection of Liermann Avenue and South Grand Boulevard. Detectives found more surveillance video that showed the same tow truck stealing the Honda, which was damaged during the theft.
Detectives identified the pickup truck used to tow the cars from surveillance video. The Dodge Ram had the letters "C&J" in a grey oval on the driver's side door.
Detectives learned that Bryant would be visiting his probation officer at a St. Louis courthouse on April 24, where they responded and arrested him.
During an interview, police say he admitted to both car thefts.
"He had to be stopped," said a watchful neighbor who asked not to be identified.
She didn't think something was right when she saw the tow truck arriving back in her neighborhood.
"He had already been here twice. He had been here three days before and stole two cars," she said.
When she confronted him, she says he told her he was with the city. She didn't buy it because she had just been in touch with city police about the last two thefts. That's when she called 911, prompting the driver to take off!
He's now charged with felony theft and property damage.
The neighbor says one of the other cars the suspect is accused of stealing belongs to a nearby church.
"You stole from a peace center that helps thousands of immigrants get their licenses ... I think that's how he makes his living," she said.
A St. Louis Circuit Court judge ordered Bryant to be detained pending trial. A bond hearing has been set for May 3 and a detention hearing for May 28.