GLADSTONE, Mo. — Dozens of stolen IDs and multiple types of drugs were recovered after a brief overnight car chase in Clay County.
Shortly after midnight Clay County Sheriff’s deputies spotted a vehicle with illegally dark tinted windows. When they checked the license plate number, they discovered the vehicle had been reported stolen.
When deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver sped off, eventually crashing near the exit ramp from Interstate 35 to N.E. Antioch Road.
Inside the vehicle deputies found driver’s licenses, passports and social security cards belonging to 22 different people. Deputies also confiscated checkbooks belonging to four different people, credit and debit cards belonging to 10 different people, six checks totaling more than $3,460, and dozens of preloaded debit cards.
“They obviously found a career criminal. Someone who makes a living out of stealing things from people, personally identifiable information, identities, money. So that’s scary,” Sarah Boyd with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said. “So, I’m glad we could stop somebody like that to prevent more victimization in our community.”
“We’re very proud of our deputies for not giving up on this,” Boyd said.
Deputies also discovered a handgun, as well as multiple different types of drugs, including powdered fentanyl, meth and prescription pills inside the vehicle.
Michael Bennett, 49, was taken into custody at the scene and booked into the Clay County Detention Center. Deputies say Bennett has been charged with resisting arrest and possession of a controlled substance. He is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on June 7.
“This is just the beginning of the work that has to happen. we’ve got to find every one of those people connected to every one of those items,” Boyd said. “We’ve got to figure out what happen, when they were stolen, see how many cases we can put together with the suspect.”