U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Monday sentenced a man who broke into a Shannon County, Missouri ranger station in 2021 and stole a National Park Service pickup to 37 months in prison, which will run consecutive to a probation violation in a state gun case.
Marvin R. “Mark” Remster, 40, was also ordered to pay more than $17,000 in restitution.
Remster admitted in a November guilty plea that he broke into the Round Spring Ranger Station in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways national park. Remster also admitted to stealing a Chevrolet Silverado pickup owned by the National Park Service.
The burglary and theft were discovered on the night of Dec. 26, 2021, when law enforcement officials were notified that the ranger station was on fire.
Remster, who was being sought on unrelated warrants, was spotted near a truck outside a home in Crawford County on Jan. 4, 2022. He was arrested after a brief foot chase and admitted possessing a 20-gauge shotgun that had been found in the truck. He also admitted to breaking into the ranger station through a window and looking for items to steal. Remster found the truck keys, stole the truck, and then drove it to an acquaintance’s garage.
Remster, of Crawford County, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau on November 21, 2022, to charges of burglary, theft of government property, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The National Park Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, and the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester is prosecuting the case.
