By George Pawlaczyk And Beth Hundsdorfer
News-Democrat
November 7, 2011
http://www.bnd.com/2011/11/07/1932554/priest-charged-with-misdemeanor.html
A downtown antiques store owner said he tailed the Rev. Steven Poole after allegedly seeing the Catholic priest pocket a $28 pipe smoker's ashtray without paying and taking off in a silver P.T. Cruiser with his Jack Russell terrier riding shotgun.
Priest and the dog were cornered on East Main Street near Virginia Avenue about 2:30 p.m. Monday after the store owner called police as he and one of his employees followed in a car. Moments later, four Belleville police squad cars surrounded Poole, who was not wearing a priest collar, and took him into custody.
"He was crying, with tears coming down his face and snot coming out of his nose," said Angelina Brown, who works with Jason Buss, the owner of Keil's Antiques and Gifts on East Main.
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| The Rev. Steven Poole in January 2010. - Provided/BND |
"He kept saying, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry,'" said Brown. "Then he looked at me and growled."
Poole was taken to the Belleville Police Department and charged with misdemeanor retail theft, according to Belleville Police Captain Don Sax.
After being taken to a local hospital to be treated for an undisclosed ailment, Sax said the priest would be probably be released. The dog was taken to Animal Control, Sax said.
Belleville Bishop Edward Braxton appointed Poole on Aug. 1 to the position of "sacramental minister" at St. Barbara Parish in Okawville, according to the Belleville Diocese's website. Neither Braxton nor a diocese spokesman could be reached.
Buss, the antiques store owner, knew Poole, who came into his store on several occasions to make purchases including a $250 swordfish, a Christmas tree made from feathers and a Falstaff Beer sign.
In each case, Buss said Poole signed a sales tax register using the diocese's identification tax number exempting him from paying the tax.
Buss became suspicious that a priest was using the diocese' sales tax exemption number, "for what looked like a non-religious purchase." He called the diocese and said that a secretary who answered the phone said it was all right.
In May 2010, Poole served as a priest at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Christopher when he was charged in Franklin County Court with retail theft for attempting to steal a $3.22 container of butter, a $60 sofa cover and for switching the bar code tag on a $144.88 mattress to read $30.88. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft in March and was sentenced 24 months probation, according to court records.
While assigned to St. Augustine's Catholic Church in Breese and St. Anthony's Church in Beckmeyer in 2000, Poole was charged with felony theft for allegedly stealing a 5-foot long antique English tavern sign from a Ladue, Mo., antiques shop. He was convicted; however, no court record could be found showing the disposition of the case.
"We knew that he might try to take something," Buss said, "but he had been a good customer."
On Monday afternoon, Buss said he watched Poole as the priest allegedly pulled a ceramic novelty coffee mug from his pants where he had apparently tried to conceal it. He returned the $6 mug to the shelf.
An examination of the item showed that it displayed two intertwined snakes speaking to each other.
The one snake was depicted as telling the other, "I knew you when you didn't have a pit to hiss in."
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