An Ottumwa man is facing several charges stemming from an alleged petty theft.
According to court documents, at around 2:44 A.M. on April 4th, 2022, 46 year old Dunstan Lee Ledford was purchasing items at the BP on N. Court Street. The incident report states that Ledford was observed on security camera footage taking a phone charger (worth $20.00) from a nearby rack and placing it in his pocket while the cashier was retrieving an item from the cooler. Ledford paid for the other items but not the phone charger. As a result, an arrest warrant for 5th Degree Theft was issued.
Ledford was located and arrested on the theft warrant at 9:08 A.M. on April 14, near W. Keota and S. Milner, less than 300 feet from Douma Elementary. Court documents state that officers performed a search incident to arrest of Ledford’s backpack, finding a loaded 9 mm Taurus handgun as well as a small plastic bag containing methamphetamine. A glass smoking pipe was allegedly found in Ledford’s front left pocket.
Ledford has been charged with 5th Degree Theft (Simple Misdemeanor), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Simple Misdemeanor), Felon In Possession Of A Firearm (Class D Felony), Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Offence (Class D Felony), and Person Ineligible To Carry A Dangerous Weapon (Serious Misdemeanor), specifically for the firearm possession in close proximity to Douma Elementary. He is currently in the Wapello County Jail on a $6,000 bond.
As a reminder, a criminal charge is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
