CLAY COUNTY, Mo. – A customized “WINNER” license plate spotted in Missouri came with an ironic twist: It led to the arrest of a man accused of stealing a truck with the license plate and possessing meth.
Deputies with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office in western Missouri spotted the truck around 12:30 a.m. Thursday. A short later, it led to the arrest of Nick E. Bross, 50, of Independence, Missouri.
The “WINNER” license plate raised the alarm to something suspicious. It was attached to a pickup truck outside of an undisclosed convenience store.
The license plate was observed to be bent and with a Nevada state tag. At some point, deputies learned that the license plate had been expired for nearly a decade and that the pickup truck was stolen.
Deputies questioned Bross about the stolen vehicle after he came out of the convenience store. He allegedly gave a fake name before deputies identified him at the scene and linked him to the stolen vehicle.
After that, deputies searched the vehicle and found a bag of meth, along with other drug paraphernalia.
The Clay County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office formally charged Bross with one felony count of second-degree drug trafficking on Friday. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office says a subsequent investigation is ongoing.