Deputies respond to wreck, burglary Thursday

A two-vehicle accident and an alleged burglary kept officers with the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office busy Thursday.

About 10:30 or 11 a.m. Thursday, the BCSO received a report of a burglary at the old M&L foundry on Maple Road just off of Franklin Street on the east side of Fort Scott, BCSO Deputy Logan Probasco said Friday.

Officers responded after a witness saw a burglary in progress, Probasco said.

Three suspects were apprehended at the scene for the alleged theft of about $1,200 in scrap metal from the old foundry, which is closed down. The value of the stolen metal is still being estimated and the case is under investigation, Probasco said.

Three arrests were made and charges were filed on Charles Lewis Arbogast, Jr., 50, and David Lee Vess, Jr., for felony theft of property/services; and Jeremy Michael Cassett, 23, for theft by deception; value $1,000 to $25,000, according to arrest reports from the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office.

Arbogast was arrested at 11:25 a.m., Vess, Jr., and Cassett were taken into custody at 11:45 a.m. As of Friday, all three men were being held in the Southeast Kansas Regional Correctional Center on no bond.

About 2 p.m. Thursday, BCSO officers were called out to a two-vehicle accident near the BNSF railroad tracks on Poplar Road just east of U.S. Highway 69 north of Fort Scott.

The crash occurred when a red Dodge pickup driven by Steven Potter of Fort Scott traveled across the railroad crossing and a BNSF Railway truck, driven by Charles Robinson, struck the vehicle on the left rear.

Both vehicles went into the ditch near the railroad tracks. There were no passengers in either vehicle, Probasco said.

Potter struck his head on the roof of the truck during the collision and sustained a minor cut on his head. He refused EMS treatment at the scene of the crash. There were no other injuries, Probasco said.

Both vehicles sustained damage and were towed out of the ditch and away from the scene. Probasco said both vehicles were inoperable following the wreck. There were no citations issued following the accident.