During the early morning hours of April 27, 2023, members of the night shift began receiving reports from Vandalia residents of unlocked cars that had been gone through. The reports continued to come in through shift change into the dayshift hours. Items were reported missing included currency, backpacks, and miscellaneous other personal items.
Throughout the day, deputies investigated through viewing video from home and business cameras and developed a suspect. When they contacted the suspect, they found him in possession of one of the backpacks that had been reported stolen. In the backpack they found stolen items, and other items that, as of now, are unaccounted for, including a pistol.
They also found the suspect had an active warrant of arrest issued in Lafayette County, Missouri for Receiving Stolen Property (Firearm).
The suspect, Naterryean Braxton-Ferguson, 22, of Vandalia was transported to the Audrain County Jail on the outstanding arrest warrant and documents have been submitted to the Audrain Prosecuting Attorney for 4 counts of Stealing (Misdemeanor) and 3 counts of Tampering with Property of Another (Misdemeanor). He remains in the Audrain County Jail at the time of this statement.
Sheriff Oller wants to recognize the 2 dayshift deputies, Deputies Justin Landis and Lucas Caples, for their hard work and steadfast dedication to investigating these incidents. While these incidents may appear insignificant on their face, when all the circumstances are combined, and had it continued, it could have proven to be disastrous and deadly had a home owner interrupted an armed suspect in the process of stealing.