Stolen fishing gear linked to Cass County man

The Missouri State Water Patrol, while investigating numerous thefts tied to fishing tournaments on Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake and Truman Reservoir, has recovered tens of thousands of dollars worth of stolen fishing equipment. Based on investigations of recent thefts, the Water Patrol served a search warrant on July 11, 2009 in Cass County at the Peculiar residence of Keith A. Clark. The Water Patrol was assisted by the Cass County Sheriff’s Department. Clark was taken into custody and a warrant was issued in Cass County on a felony charge for receiving stolen property.
The recovered stolen property has been linked to numerous thefts. Among those are thefts from:
Lake of the Ozarks, April 26 at the 8 mile mark and May 30 at the 2 mile mark of the Grand Glaize Arm
Table Rock Lake, April 4 and 5 near point 7 and June 25 and 26 near point 10
Truman Reservoir, July 9 and 10
The Water Patrol expects the property recovered to be associated with additional theft cases in Missouri and surrounding states as the investigation continues. The Water Patrol is in the process of identifying and contacting the owners of the recovered property.
Gov. Jay Nixon said, “I applaud the efforts of the Missouri State Water Patrol in this investigation.  As an angler myself, I’m sure the sportsmen who’ll now have their gear returned are glad to know that the Water Patrol pursued this case.”
A major break in this case came as the result of a theft victim who was able to positively identify items belonging to him that were being sold in secondary markets. The secondary market for fishing tackle consists of garage sales, pawn shops, internet sales, classified ads and equipment swap meets.
During the course of this investigation numerous officers have been involved in the investigation and in processing evidence. The Missouri State Water Patrol wishes to thank the following...
Read the complete story in the July 30th edition.
PHOTO: Keith A. Clark