FESTUS, Mo. (Sept. 19, 2025) — A De Soto man has been charged with felony stealing after authorities say he walked out of a Lowe’s store in Festus with more than $1,400 in merchandise without paying.

According to court documents filed on Sept. 18, 2025, by the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Damien M. Love, age 53, of De Soto is accused of taking two welders valued at $1,438 from the Lowe’s on July 7, 2024. Investigators say Love and another unidentified man placed the welders in a shopping cart and exited the store without attempting to pay.

The incident led to a class D felony charge of stealing—defined under Missouri law as the unauthorized appropriation of property valued at $750 or more with the intent to deprive the owner of it.

Prosecutors filed a complaint in felony and requested a summons for Love, who resides on Boyd Street in De Soto. The case is being prosecuted under Missouri Revised Statutes Section 570.030.

The above charges are mere accusation and not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of the charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

Paul Barnard Editor

Paul Barnard is the editor of the Twin City News. Barnard Graduated from Norwich University, America's oldest private military college, with a B.S. in Communications and Media Technology. There he studied journalism and marketing. For years after, Barnard was in law enforcement and gained experience in the Special Investigations Unit and publishing all the department's press releases. As Barnard's family grew, he moved on to start Twin City News.

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