ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A St. Charles County man is accused of running an illegal salvage business and disassembling cars towed to his lot for spare parts.
According to the St. Louis County Police Department’s probable cause statement, the illegal yard was located in the 5300 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard in Kinloch.
A Berkeley man had reported his 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee stolen in October 2022. On Dec. 6, 2022, the man contacted St. Louis County police to report that his stolen Jeep was at the salvage yard in Kinloch.
Police could not access the salvage yard but were able to spot the victim’s vehicle from a neighboring property. The Cherokee was missing all four wheels, tires, and its entire front end.
Police eventually got hold of the owner of the salvage yard, identified as Leo F. Arnold (age not provided). Police claim Arnold admitted that he once ran a legal salvage yard but had since lost his license and was continuing to accept vehicles from tow companies. Arnold allegedly confessed to taking the vehicles apart and selling the parts for profit, which he shared with the tow companies.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Arnold with six counts of receiving stolen property. Arnold was issued a criminal summons to appear in court on August 28.
