ST. MARY, MO- A mayor from a small Missouri town stands accused of stealing a piece of construction equipment from a dead man.
Adam Bequette, mayor of St. Mary, MO., is accused of stealing a skid steer worth $18,000 that belonged to a man who recently passed away, according to PEOPLE.
Bequette is charged with tampering with a motor vehicle and stealing after the Missouri State Highway Patrol filed charges after he stole the skid steer, which should have gone to the deceased man’s two adult children.
Bequette was also the Chief of Police prior to becoming mayor, according to his LinkedIn.
The dead man was not identified.
The owner of the equipment passed away in March, a probable cause statement obtained by PEOPLE read.
A skid steer is a type of machinery used in construction, landscaping, and farming. When his two children went to the deceased’s property two months later, the machinery was missing.
When police began to investigate, they discovered that Bequette had instructed city workers to remove the equipment from the property after making a baseless claim that it was blocking access to the city's water lines.
According to court documents, Bequette claimed that he tried to contact the deceased man’s family before having the skid steer moved. However, investigators said there was no evidence the skid steer was impeding anything, nor that the family had been notified.
The skid steer has been returned to the owner’s family, police said. Bequette has not yet entered a plea, according to court records.
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