Mallory Herrmann
citydesk@lstribune.net

Grant Klene, 20, was arrested Sunday night after setting a neighbor’s Jeep on fire. Klene admitted to having been drinking heavily in his parents’ home.

His father apparently flushed Klene’s marijuana down the toilet, sparking a domestic disturbance. When his mother said that she was calling the police, Klene left the residence with a bottle of vodka and proceeded to the Price Chopper near Todd George and 50 Highway. In the parking lot of the grocery store, he took a pumpkin from a display and threw it into the air to see how high he could throw it.

After being confronted by a store employee for smashing the pumpkin, he went to Johnny’s Tavern to continue drinking during the Chiefs game. While he says he walked home alone after the game ended, he also told police during an Oct. 22 interview that his memories from that point are not clear. He says he does remember police trying to get him to come out of the bathroom and punching an officer in the eye while resisting arrest.

There is neighborhood surveillance footage showing Klene attempting to enter the front door of a residence shortly after 11:00 p.m. on Oct. 21, apparently on his walk home from the bar. Two vehicles nearby had been entered and possessions inside rifled through, and feces had been smeared on the seats. When Klene was detained at home, his clothing matched that of the individual in the video footage. A pair of blue jeans with feces on them was also located; court documents indicate that a Bic lighter and a wallet containing Klene’s driver license were in the front pocket.

An investigator for the Missouri State Fire Marshal indicated that the fire had been started behind the driver’s seat of the 2015 Jeep Cherokee and that an accelerant had been used.