Man Showed Up To Court Appearance With Stolen Vehicle, Handgun

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said a Berger man showed up to a court appearance May 26 in a stolen vehicle containing a .380 caliber handgun.

Shawn Mills, 42, is a convicted felon.

He has been charged with first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle and unlawful use of a weapon.

Sheriff Steven Pelton said deputies received information that Mills would be showing up for his appearance in a stolen white Pontiac.

Mills was observed arriving to court in that car.

The VIN tag was tampered with and appeared to be hiding the original tag.

Detectives arrested Mills inside the courthouse.

A search of the vehicle yielded a gun and the VIN tag.

The vehicle was registered to a subject from Howard County, Missouri, and was not yet reported stolen.

Deputies contacted the subject, who had no idea their vehicle had been missing and wished to report it was stolen.

Mills’ bond was set at $25,000.