CASSVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A southwest Missouri man accused of stealing farm equipment in several counties has pleaded guilty to a string of tractor thefts in Barry County.
The Monett Times reports that 64-year-old Howard Perryman pleaded guilty to five felony counts just as his trial was to start Tuesday in Barry County Circuit Court.
Perryman, of Monett, was charged with stealing three tractors and a skid steer in 2010 and selling them to an informant who was cooperating with law enforcement. He will be sentenced in June.
Perryman is also charged in Lawrence, Greene, Webster and Dade counties with stealing cattle and other farm equipment.
Barry County Sheriff Mick Epperly says Perryman previously served prison time for stealing cattle in the late 1980’s.