Man Breaks Things When His Brother Won't Lend Him Car for Drug Run, Police Say

A man who was upset his brother wouldn’t lend him his car so he could go buy drugs began breaking items in the house and stole his brother’s laptop computer Tuesday, O’Fallon police said.

Timothy Lee Vance, 27, also threatened another man with a baseball bat, police said.

Vance was charged Wednesday with misdemeanor theft, second-degree property damage and third-degree assault.

O’Fallon Police said Vance woke up a man who had been sleeping in the basement at a home in the 800 block of Glenhaven Drive in O’Fallon. Vance held a baseball bat to the man’s head and told him he wanted the man to drive him into the city of St. Louis to buy drugs, police said.

The man told police he agreed because he feared Vance would hit him with the bat if he refused.

Vance went upstairs and asked his brother for the car keys. When his brother refused, Vance punched a hole in the wall, and broke a wooden DVD rack, ceramic floor tiles and a glass, according to a police report.

Vance’s brother told police he gave him the keys to stop him from breaking more items. Vance’s brother said he also was missing a laptop valued at $300.

When the second man and Vance got in the car, the second man ran away. He told police he was afraid of what Vance would do to him.

O’Fallon Police said Vance admitted breaking the DVD cabinet and a glass, but denied the other damage. He also admitted to stealing the laptop and selling it to an unknown person for $45, using $10 to buy heroin.

Police said Vance also denied threatening the man with a baseball bat, but said when he’s released he was going to “assault that little bitch now.”

Bail for Vance was set at $5,000.