
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office says a Tuesday traffic stop on I-55 led to an investigation into stolen lottery tickets and license plates.
A Sheriff’s Deputy reported following a pick-up that was crossing the centerline. It had Utah plates that were registered to another vehicle.
The driver, a man from California, told police he was trying to get to Normal.
He was 60 miles past Normal.
The Sheriff’s Office says a search of the pick-up revealed 416 Missouri scratch-off lottery tickets and 37 Nevada license plates all in sequential order.
It was determined that the lottery tickets had been stolen from a gas station that was burglarized and set on fire hours earlier. The same pick-up was seen at the gas station.
38-year-old Shawn Stankewitz, of Arroyo Grande, California is being held on arson, burglary and theft charges.
He also has a no-bond arrest warrant for a parole violation in California.