West Plains, MO. – Three area men were recently arrested on multiple charges dealing with the theft of a vehicle from Cabool.
Ruth Markovic of Buffalo, David Brosam of Marshfield, and Michael Northern of Springfield have received felony charges for stealing – motor vehicle, unlawful use of a weapon, and possession of a controlled substance following their arrest on June 30, 2023.
According to the probable cause statement, a local man who had a vehicle stolen from him reported to authorities shortly before 9 a.m. on June 30th that he had spotted the stolen vehicle in a field on MO-38. According to the victim, the vehicle had been sitting for roughly 10 years prior to being stolen, and would require a trailer or tow to be moved.
The victim called authorities again at 11:25 a.m. that day to report three suspects from the theft were at the stolen vehicle. By 11:50 a.m., multiple law enforcement were on the scene, found the three men sitting in a vehicle near the stolen truck, and detained the suspects.
Markovic, Brosam, and Northern were previously known to authorities from a previous stolen property case within the last nine months.
In post-arrest interviews, the three suspects gave different and contradicting stories. All three suspects said they were not the ones to move the vehicle and said it was a different suspect that asked them to help move the vehicle. The suspects said a fourth individual, that had hired them in the previous stolen property case, had hired them to remove the vehicle.
During a search of the suspect vehicle, a Smith & Wesson Shield .38 handgun, two baggies containing a substance that field tested as methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and a device used to break into vehicles was located.
The suspects denied any knowledge of the methamphetamine and one suspect said the gun belonged to his wife, but did not know it had been in the vehicle at the time.
Brosam and Markovic have pled not guilty to the charges and, according to online court documents, are in police custody. An initial court appearance for Northern is set for July 18, 2023.
