Deputies Arrest Sex Offender For Failing To Register, Firearm Possession, Theft

Crawford County sheriff’s deputies arrested a Steelville man Dec. 28 who allegedly failed to register as a sex offender and also was the suspect in a burglary at Ponderosa Timber in September.

Justin Schirmer, 36, is in custody at the Fulton Diagnostic Reception Center. Schirmer was scheduled for a hearing on Dec. 30, but he had already been transported to Fulton, which is a Department of Corrections facility.

Schirmer is a sex offender, with convictions in Crawford and Reynolds counties. He was convicted for second-degree child molestation in Crawford County in December 2007 and second-degree rape and first-degree statutory rape in Reynolds County in July 2014.

He also has been convicted for failure to register in the city of St. Louis and Reynolds County.

According to the probable cause statement, Schirmer’s GPS monitoring showed that he had spent most of his time at a residence on Bowers Road in Steelville. His registered address at a home on Highway V.

Deputies made contact with Schirmer Dec. 28. He was allegedly in possession of a pipe containing methamphetamine and a stolen handgun.

The probable cause statement says an investigation is continuing into the gun.

Charges were filed against Schirmer Dec. 29 for his alleged role in the burglary and theft of Ponderosa Timber.

Schirmer was one of three suspects.

Camera shows Schirmer carrying two chainsaws, one valued at $1,329 and another at $1,029.

Schirmer was on GPS monitoring due to his sex offender status and GPS locations during the night of the theft placed him at the saw mill.

Two other suspects, whose names are redacted in the probable cause statement, were seen on camera carrying out several items.

The approximate value of all stolen property was more than $5,000.

Nearly $3,300 worth of stolen tolls were allegedly found in Schirmer’s possession on Bowers Road or at a location on Moutray Road where he told deputies he sold them.