Officer investigates stolen drink, finds suspect in stolen car


Vincent Walrath

Vincent Walrath, 31, of Grandview, is being held in the Ozark County Jail on a $5,000 cash-only bond in connection with a case where he’s charged with tampering with a motor vehicle and misdemeanor stealing. He is scheduled to return to court at 10 a.m. today, Dec. 4, before Associate Judge Raymond Gross for a bond reduction hearing. 

According to the probable cause statement, prepared by Ozark County Sheriff’s Lt. Matt Rhoades, at 11:35 p.m. Nov. 23, he was dispatched to a report of a theft at the White Oak Station in Gainesville. When he arrived on scene, he spoke with an employee, who told him that a man stole a green Irish Creme Monster Energy drink from the store, walking out on foot. The employee showed him the security camera footage of the incident, which provided Rhoades confirmation of the theft and a description of the suspect. 

“I conducted an area check and located the suspect in the same clothing as in the video from a few moments later in a maroon Ford Fusion with no rear license plate. He was parked, and after seeing me, he ducked down in the driver’s seat of the car to not be seen. I approached and knocked on the window. He refused to exit for a few moments then complied with my orders for him to exit the vehicle,” the officer wrote in the report. 

Rhoades asked the man for his identification, and Walrath reportedly said he didn’t have one. He told the officer that his name was Gary Bragsworthe and repeated his social security number differently several times, the report says. 

Rhoades notes in the report that he could see the green Monster Energy drink in a plastic bag in the passenger’s seat off the vehicle, partially exposed. He asked the man if the car was his, and he said it was his uncle’s vehicle. He asked what his uncle’s name was, and he again said “Gary.”

Rhoades contacted the Ozark County Sheriff’s dispatch office to confirm the suspect’s identity and to run the VIN number on the Fusion. A dispatcher replied back to Rhoades, telling him that the VIN number came back to a vehicle that had been reported stolen from Jackson County. Rhoades went back to the car and told the man that he was under arrest. A wallet with his real identity was found in his pants pocket, and Rhoades confirmed that the owner of the vehicle’s name was Gary, not the man in the car. His name was Vincent Walrath. He had the keys to the vehicle on a Kansas City Chiefs lanyard and had several bags in the car with his personal items including clothing and checks written out by him with his name on them for the amount of $100,000,000.

The vehicle was towed to the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office was contacted to inform them of the found vehicle. That department was going to contact the vehicle’s owner to arrange pick up. The car did have minor damage to the rear driver’s side bumper, the report says. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department called later to say the owner said he did not know Walrath or give him permission to take the vehicle. They desired prosecution.

On Nov. 24, Rhoades interviewed Walrath.

“He stated he was passing through the area and got tired and decided to stop here in Gainesville to rest. He stated that he could get someone to pay for the Monster he stole but doesn’t have anyone’s phone number,” the report said. “He stated that the registered owner is his uncle but he did not get the owner’s last name correct. He said it was his uncle on his father’s side but has a different last name than his father. He described his ‘uncle’ as around 40 years old and younger than his father. The owner is 68 years old.

“He spoke to the owner a few days before he took it and stated he took the car on Thursday. He took the car from the owner’s driveway and the keys were in the car when he took it. He confirmed that he was the only one that had been in the car since he took it from the owner’s driveway on Thursday. This concluded my interview with the suspect.”

Rhoades requested a warrant, saying: “I believe a warrant is necessary for the suspect due to him not having anyone living in the area and being stranded in our county. He has already shown a pattern of theft by stealing a car and items from a gas station, as well as having credit cards in his wallet with other individual’s names on them. I believe if he is released from custody, he will steal additional items from our citizens in order to get to his destination. He had a recent citation from another police office in Missouri for trespassing 2nd degree. His criminal history includes an extensive criminal history of arrests and convictions from Florida and Missouri for drugs, guns, assaults and stealing,” the report says. 

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

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