Robert Abbott being held on multiple charges linked to four-day crime spree


Robert Abbott

Robert A. Abbott of Koshkonong has racked up another Ozark County case in which he is alleged to have attempted to steal a truck from Johnny Evans’ house on Highway 181 in Gainesville on June 29, the day before he allegedly took Manuel Hambelton’s truck parked outside Smokin’ Joe’s BBQ and Pizzeria in Gainesville. 

The allegations in the new case join seven other recently filed cases related to the theft of six different vehicles over a four-day span June 29-July 2 throughout Ozark and Howell counties. 

Abbott is being held in the Ozark County Jail on a $7,500 cash-only bond in the new case. 

He is charged with three counts of stealing a firearm, five counts of tampering with a motor vehicle, burglary, six counts of stealing a motor vehicle, two counts of stealing $750 or more and four counts of unlawful possession of a firearm in Ozark, Howell and Douglas counties. 

The allegations in the four-day car-theft spree are outlined briefly here: 

 

Monday, June 29

Truck stolen from South 63 Motors, West Plains

On Monday, June 29, the owner of South 63 Motors in West Plains reported to the Howell County Sheriff’s Department that a 2006 GMC Sierra truck, valued at $10,000, had been taken from the business’s lot at 301 W. Broadway St. in West Plains.

Video footage from the business’s security cameras reportedly shows Abbott riding a bicycle up to the truck on the car lot, entering the vehicle and driving the truck from the lot.

 

Monday night, June 29

Evans property on Highway 181, Gainesville

The same day officers in Howell County were looking for the GMC truck, Johnny Evans called the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office at 11 p.m. to report that he had come outside his residence on Highway 181 in Gainesville to find a man, later identified as Abbott, inside his parked truck. Upon seeing Evans exit the house, Abbott reportedly got out of the vehicle and walked away from the property down Highway 181 in the dark. When Evans approached the vehicle, he noticed that a Mossberg 12-gauge pump shotgun he kept inside the truck, valued at $500, was missing. 

The following day, Evans called the sheriff’s office to report that he’d also discovered that the ignition system of his truck had been tampered with, causing about $350 worth of damage to the vehicle, and his ATV had been moved into a nearby field.

 

2 p.m. Tuesday, June 30

Hambelton truck, handgun

stolen in Gainesville

The next day, June 30, Abbott is alleged to have stolen Gainesville resident Manuel Hambelton’s truck, which was attached to a trailer loaded with excavating equipment, while it was parked outside Smokin’ Joe’s restaurant a block off the west side of the Gainesville square. 

In that case, Hambelton reportedly called the sheriff’s office at 2:44 p.m. to report that while he was eating at the cafe, someone had stolen his silver 2016 Dodge 3500 valued at $35,000. Hambelton said he had a Glock 9 mm handgun inside, valued at $600. He said the gun had two magazines with it. 

Later that day, officers found the truck parked on County Road 530. The keys and handgun were reportedly missing. 

 

Tuesday, June 30

Polaris RZR side-by-side stolen, 

Don’s ATV Repair in Caulfield

The same day as the Hambelton truck theft, Abbott is alleged to have stolen a 2016 Polaris RZR, valued at $20,000, from Don’s ATV Repair in Caulfield. The side-by-side vehicle, owned by Shaun McColskey of Wildwood, had been left at the shop for repairs. Court documents do not detail when the vehicle was reportedly taken.

 

 

Wednesday, July 1

Toyota Tundra stolen from

 Southern Hills Auto Plaza, West Plains

The day after he reportedly stole Hambelton’s truck in Gainesville and the ATV in Caulfield, Abbott is alleged to have then stolen a 2018 white Toyota Tundra, valued at $46,000, from Southern Hills Auto Plaza on Highway 160 in West Plains. 

West Plains Police Officer Brad Jones was dispatched to the reported theft, and while he was in route to the dealership, a dispatcher advised him that the truck had been found parked at Southern Bank about a half-mile away on Preacher Roe Boulevard. The dispatcher said someone had reported that a man dressed all in black had walked away from the truck. 

Jones found the truck parked near the bank and noted in the report that the key was missing. Jacob Woodworth of Southern Hills Auto Plaza met the officer at the bank and told him that earlier that day a man walked through their parking lot, got into the truck and drove it away. Woodworth said a set of keys to the auto business and to another business, Gary’s Tire, had also been taken from the truck. He estimated it would cost $200 to replace the locks on both businesses. 

Another employee at Southern Hills Auto Plaza reportedly said he’d seen the man from the side. Jones showed the employee a photo of Abbott, and the employee said he believed Abbott was the man who had taken the truck.

 

Wednesday, July 1

Ford F-250 truck stolen 

from Eighth Street, West Plains

The same day he allegedly stole the Tundra from the West Plains dealership, Abbott is alleged to have also stolen a 1996 Ford F-250 4x4, valued at $3,000, from a residence on Eighth Street in West Plains. 

The truck, which belongs to Dustin Stephens, had a .45 caliber handgun inside. 

 

Wednesday, July 1

Vance Jones’ truck stolen

from Nichols Street, West Plains

The same day the Stephens truck and the Southern Hills Auto Plaza vehicle were stolen, July 1, a 2000 Ford F-450 belonging to Vance Jones was reportedly taken from Nichols Street in West Plains, about 2 miles from where the Stephens truck went missing. 

 

Thursday, July 2

Howell-Oregon Electric Co-op truck stolen, 

West Plains

The next day, the Howell County Sheriff’s Office was notified that a Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative vehicle had been stolen. The 2008 red Chevrolet pickup was attached to an 18-foot flat-bed trailer. The truck was valued at $7,500, and the trailer was valued at $2,000. DeWalt tools and five tablets were reportedly inside the truck or in the truck’s bed. 

The electric co-op said $16,838 had also been stolen from the business. 

 

Thursday, July 2

Abbott found sleeping in stolen truck

Later on July 2, officers found the Howell-Oregon Electric truck parked on Arkansas Street in West Plains with Abbott asleep at the wheel. He was taken into custody without incident. 

An employee from the electric co-op came to the scene and identified the truck, tools and tablets as ones that belonged to the company and had presumably been taken from several vehicles in the company’s parking lot.

Inside the truck’s console was a key to the Toyota truck stolen from Southern Hills Auto Plaza and another key ring with various keys belonging to Southern Hills and Gary’s Tire. Also, Abbott was reportedly in possession of the Glock 9 mm handgun stolen from Manuel Hambelton and a Smith and Wesson .45-caliber

 

Recovering vehicles, guns, other items

The Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative employee said the white Ford F-450 that had been stolen from Vance Jones had been left in their parking lot after Abbott presumably ditched the vehicle so he could steal the electric co-op’s vehicle. It was recovered.

The side-by-side that was reportedly taken from Don’s ATV Repair in Caulfield was found by a resident in Ozark County. Deputies here recovered that vehicle.

Abbott reportedly told officers he’d taken Manuel Hambelton’s truck from Smokin’ Joe’s because he walked by the vehicle and noticed that the keys were in the ignition. He reportedly said he unhooked the trailer and drove the truck to County Road 530 and parked it behind what he thought was an abandoned house. He said he then walked to Highway 160 and started heading east toward West Plains. Abbot said he then realized he had forgotten his cigarettes, so he walked back to the stolen truck to retrieve them. Then he returned to Highway 160 and walked to West Plains.

Abbott told officers he’d given the 2006 GMC truck he stole from South 63 Motors to a woman he knew. Officers later found that the vehicle had been towed by a local tow company when it was left on Howell County Road 2570. 

 

Open Wright County case

June 2019 Walmart theft

The recent crime spree isn’t Abbott’s only run-in with law enforcement. He currently has two open cases in Wright County and one in Douglas County.

The first Wright County case involves allegations that Abbott stole thousands of dollars’ worth of items from Wal-Mart in Mountain Grove during at least three different visits. Probable cause statements in those cases indicate that Wal-Mart officials told the Mountain Grove Police Department that Abbott reportedly stole $1,190 worth of items from the store on June 2, 2019. He had been served with a “notification from property acknowledgement” on May 5, 2019, which forbade him from being on the Wal-Mart premises. He then is alleged to have gone back to Wal-Mart and stole a yellow toolbox and several other items, valued at $290, on July 12, 2019. 

 

 

Second open Wright County case

July 2019 theft of a truck from Signal in Mansfield

In the second Wright county case, Abbott is charged with stealing a Ford Ranger pickup from a Signal Store in Mansfield; that vehicle was recovered last July. When police found Abbott in the vehicle, they also found rims and a speaker that are believed to have been taken from another vehicle in the Signal parking lot. The yellow toolbox that Abbott allegedly stole from Wal-Mart was in the truck’s passenger-side seat, the documents say.

 

Open Douglas County case

July 2019 theft of side-by-side vehicles 

from Cooper Lumber in Ava

In the open Douglas County case, Abbott is charged with stealing a 2018 Cub Cadet Challenger 550 and a black 2017 Cub Cadet Challenger 550 from the Cooper Lumber Store in Ava. 

Ozark County Times

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PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423