Steelville Man Arrested For Church Burglary

A Steelville man was arrested Friday in connection with the burglary of a Cherryville church.

Ryan Radel, 28, has been charged with second-degree burglary and theft of $750 or more.

Radel allegedly pawned some of the stolen items in Rolla.

The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office had been looking for Radel since April 16. 

The burglary occurred between April 10-12 at Cherryville Church of God.

According to the probable cause statement, a structure fire was reported at the church on April 12. 

It was determined forced entry had been made into the structure through a basement door.

Once the fire was extinguished, authorities from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department, Missouri Division of Fire Safety and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms opened an investigation. 

A video surveillance system, guitar, accordion, cordless microphones, utility knife, container of gasoline and a weed eater were missing.

On April 15, the Rolla Police Department reported that the musical instruments had been pawned off in its jurisdiction. The pawn shop owner identified Radel as the person who had pawned them. 

Radel is a registered sex offender and was sentenced to prison in April 2016 for two counts of failure to register as a sex offender and delivery or possession of a controlled substance at a jail facility.

Radel’s bond has been set at $50,000.