On January 9, 2020 at approximately 7:26 pm Parsons Police Officers were called to suspicious activity at the Holiday Inn Express 1500 Cattle Drive for a report of a man "dancing" around the building.

Officers arrived and spoke to witnesses who directed officers to the Hotel and described the individual as a black male wearing black sweatpants and a dark shirt with light covered sleeves. While looking for the described individual the officers located 35-year-old Veston Leward Brown, of Kansas City, MO, and spoke to him as he matched the given description. While officers were talking to Brown, they discovered a vehicle in the vicinity that Brown identified as his friend's vehicle and that it ran out of gas. The vehicle, a 2019 Nissan Frontier, was discovered to be stolen from Affordable Towing impound lot in Joplin, MO

Brown was detained and the key fob to the stolen vehicle was recovered from him. Officers searched the stolen vehicle and found drugs and paraphernalia in the vehicle. Since Brown stated that the truck was his friend's officers, with the help of Kansas Highway Patrol searched the construction site looking for an accomplice. Surveillance video showed only one person, Brown, with the vehicle and the search was concluded.
Brown was arrested for Possession of Stolen Property, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Paraphernalia. Charges have been sent to the Labette County Attorneys Office for formal charging.
Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks said, "a great start to the new year is witnessing 'See It, Hear It, Report It' in action and being successful. This is a perfect example of citizens helping officers and giving good information to get a good arrest."

This continues to be an on-going investigation and citizens are encouraged to "See It, Hear It, Report It." If anyone has any further information on this incident or any other criminal activity, please contact the Parsons Police Department at 421-7060 or call the Tip Line at 421-7057 or email at tips@parsonspd.com.