Missouri Mayor Charged With Stealing $18,000 Piece of Machinery from Dead Man

The mayor of a small town in Missouri is accused of stealing an $18,000 skid steer belonging to a man who recently died.

Adam Bequette, the mayor of St. Mary, Mo., is charged in a criminal complaint with tampering with a motor vehicle and stealing after Missouri State Highway Patrol alleged he stole the skid steer, which should have gone to the deceased man’s two adult children.

The owner of the skid steer — a piece of machinery used in construction, landscaping and farming — died in March, according to a probable cause statement obtained by PEOPLE. But when the man’s two children went to their father’s property two months later, they discovered it was missing.

Police said they learned through interviews that Bequette allegedly instructed city workers to remove the skid steer from the property after claiming it was blocking access to city water lines.

Bequette also claimed he tried to contact the man’s family before having it moved, according to the court document.

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Police, however, said there was no evidence it was blocking anything or that the family had been contacted.

In June, the skid steer was located at a city facility and returned to the owner’s family.

Bequette has not yet entered a plea, according to court records.