A man was arrested Sunday for allegedly breaking into Audi/BMW Springfield and stealing a $67,750 car from the showroom — but not without first using a phone in the dealership to try to call 911 to report himself.
Daniel Dalton Snider, 32, who is listed in court documents as living in Fulton, faces charges of stealing over $25,000, a Class C felony, and burglary, a Class D felony. He was in the Greene County Jail Tuesday morning, May 14.
Snider allegedly threw a rock through a glass pane at the dealership, located at 3500 E. Sunshine St., at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, May 12.
He apparently then used a landline phone to try to call 911. He later told an officer he attempted to make the call so police could come and put him in jail so he would be “safe.” The investigator noted in his report that a call from inside the dealership was, in fact, made. The phone call was “abandoned” and not fully completed, according to charging documents.
Snider allegedly would later tell police he stole “a couple Coca-Colas and a bottle of water” while in the dealership, then drove off in a 2024 Audi A6.
Car running, unoccupied along Hwy 65
When police arrived at the car dealership, double doors leading to the showroom were propped open and a car was gone.
Snider later told the Springfield police investigator, according to documents, that he “had a lot of people coming after him” and he said he threw a rock through the window to get help.
The investigator noted in his report:
“Snider said no alarm went off and no police officers showed up. Snider stated there had been a security guard present at the scene who he thought may have seen him, but never contacted him.”
At 7:07 a.m. that day, troopers with the Missouri State Highway Patrol found the black Audi A6 abandoned along northbound U.S. Highway 65 at mile marker 28, which is a few miles south of Highlandville in Christian County. The car was unoccupied and running.
According to court documents, about an hour after the car was found, Highway Patrol troopers located Snider walking northbound, three miles from the abandoned car, on Highway 65. According to the officer's report:
“I asked Snider why he left the Audi running on the side of 65 Highway and he stated he did not feel safe inside of it and wanted to get out of it.
“... I asked him to explain a little more and asked if he owed people money. Snider stated no, and he believed federal agents were after him for a gun charge.
“I asked Snider what his plan was for breaking the window and stealing the car. Snider again stated he just wanted to be safe. ... I asked Snider if some of the things he experienced were the result of drug use or a psychological issue and he stated no.
“I asked if his goal was to go to jail and he stated yes, for safety.”
