A male was arrested Thursday on suspicion of stealing multiple vehicles in West Plains. Robert A. Abbott was placed on a 24-hour hold pending formal charges from the Howell County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on multiple counts of automobile theft and theft of a firearm.
According to the West Plains Police Department, an officer located Abbott in a vehicle allegedly stolen from the Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative at a residence on Arkansas Street. The officer and a Howell County deputy made contact with Abbott and reportedly located stolen firearms in the vehicle. The guns were allegedly stolen from other vehicles Abbott is accused of stealing.
The three additional vehicle thefts are alleged to have also occurred in West Plains. Three of the four vehicles were recovered and returned to the owners.
Abbott is also being held on multiple agency warrants in Missouri and Arkansas with charges including automobile theft and stealing. He was already on probation for felony stealing with the Missouri Department of Corrections, and he was out on bond in Howell County facing charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action.
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