South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

Two men suspected of car thefts arrested after foot chase

Police use helicopter to apprehend men near Grant’s Farm
Dominik Stanfield
Dominik Stanfield

Two Oakville men suspected of a string of car thefts were arrested last week after a dramatic foot chase in a residential neighborhood across from Grant’s Farm.

Dominik Stanfield, 26, of the 1100 block of Casa Brazilia in Oakville, and Rodney Jasper, 21, of the 3000 block of Clayridge Drive in Oakville, are both charged with felony theft of a firearm after police found guns on them during their arrests the morning of June 28. Jasper is also charged with first-degree burglary and theft of $500 or more.

Jasper, who has been arrested in at least three St. Louis-area counties this year for theft, has given various addresses in Oakville after his arrests and once gave an address in Lemay.

Stanfield is being held on $40,000 bond, and a motion to reduce bond was denied. Jasper is being held on $30,000 bond.

Officers from the Affton Southwest Precinct responded to a report of two men opening car doors along the 10400 block of Appomattox Station Court in the Grant’s View subdivision at roughly 4:45 a.m. June 28. The Affton subdivision shares an entrance with the Grant’s View Branch County Library at Gravois and Musick roads, across from Grant’s Farm.

Using a description of the men and their car provided by the witness, police pulled the men over in a traffic stop at the Grant’s View entrance, but the car’s passenger took off on foot. The driver, Stanfield, told police that the passenger was Jasper, police say.

Stanfield was taken into custody, and police found a large amount of stolen property inside the car, Officer Brian Boedicker wrote in a probable-cause statement.

The St. Louis County Police Department brought out its helicopter over the area to search for the fleeing suspect around 5:25 a.m., setting off barking among the dogs in the neighborhood, a neighbor along Musick told the Call.

About 7:30 a.m., a county detective who was driving to the scene to interview Stanfield spotted the other alleged thief, Jasper, at the intersection of Gravois and Musick.

The detective got Jasper in his marked police car, but Jasper escaped from the car, Boedicker said.

The escape led to a foot chase that woke up neighbors along Hayden Hill Drive, a street across Musick from Grant’s View.

As police ran between houses to chase after the suspect, eight to 10 police cars, including the Green Park and Marlborough police cars, pulled up to the scene with sirens blaring, the neighbor said.

“The police officers were in hot pursuit and hopping fences and found him in the backyard,” the neighbor said.

As the neighbor, her husband and their neighbor stood at their doors and watched alongside the neighbor’s barking dog, the suspect ran by them.

“The man came running up the driveway literally right next to (the neighbor and his dog) and then hopped my fence and hopped in the other yard,” she said.

Police spokesman Sgt. Shawn McGuire wrote in an email, “Officers got him into custody without incident.”

The arresting officers seized three guns from Jasper, all stolen from cars, McGuire added. The neighbor reported seeing the suspect carrying two dark bags, one in each hand, as he ran through her neighborhood.

“Both these suspects are connected to several vehicle larcenies in the south county area, and we are extremely grateful that someone called in the suspicious person/vehicle,” McGuire said.

In a complaint sent to prosecutors, police allege that Stanfield and Jasper stole a Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic pistol from a car sometime from 1 to 4:51 a.m. June 28 in the 10300 block of Meath Drive in Affton.

That stolen gun is one of the ones recovered from Jasper at the scene, Boedicker said. McGuire could not confirm whether the other seized guns had been taken that night in Grant’s View or elsewhere.

“Defendants were interviewed and admitted to acting together to steal the gun from (the victim’s) car, as well as two other guns and other property recovered from the car defendant Stanfield was driving,” Boedicker wrote.

Most of the property had been taken from unlocked cars, McGuire said.

Jasper has a long history of burglary charges. He was charged in St. Charles County in February with a felony for allegedly receiving stolen property along with two misdemeanor property damage charges after he was arrested by police in O’Fallon, according to court records. Those charges are still pending.

Prosecutors in Jefferson County charged Jasper with felony first-degree property damage April 7 after he was arrested by the Arnold Police Department. Those charges are also still pending.

Jasper was convicted of four felony charges in St. Louis County in 2014: first-degree burglary, theft of more than $500, receiving stolen property and escape or attempted escape from custody while under arrest for a felony.

The Oakville man received credit for time served on all four charges for the 120 days he spent in jail and received a suspended sentence and probation on each of the charges, with five years’ probation on the burglary, theft and escape charges and a shorter probation period for receiving stolen property. As part of the burglary and theft sentencing, Judge Mark Seigel also required Jasper to get a psych evaluation and complete his GED or high school diploma.

Stanfield pleaded guilty in 2008 to third-degree assault, for which he received a $300 fine.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated with Jasper’s correct address. It was incorrectly stated in court records.