A Licking man is facing felony stealing and misdemeanor trespassing charges after authorities say he was found on private property at Current River Pole Mill on February 23, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Texas County.
Sergeant Brian Allgire reported that he was conducting a security check on Staples Lane around 1:15 p.m. when he saw a white Ford pickup trespassing behind a locked gate. As he opened the gate, the vehicle “fled to the back of the property, where I pursued him,” the affidavit states. The driver then parked behind a wood pile, exited the truck, and “threw items that he had stolen… onto the ground.”
The suspect, identified as Louis V. Gregory, was interviewed after being advised of his Miranda rights. Gregory admitted he “drove around the locked gate” and acknowledged he did not have permission to be on the property. He also told the officer the items he discarded had been taken from a pallet “just inside one of the buildings on the property,” described as an open‑air structure housing industrial equipment.
The property owner confirmed the items belonged to his company and estimated the loss at $5,506.90, according to the affidavit.
Gregory is charged with stealing $750 or more, a Class D felony under RSMo 570.030, and first‑degree trespassing, a Class B misdemeanor under RSMo 569.140.
