A Hazelwood business lost roughly $17,000 in rooftop solar panels and battery equipment this summer, and police say a photo of a pickup truck leaving the scene eventually led them to a suspect and a stash of methamphetamine. Devin Roberts now faces felony charges connecting a commercial equipment theft to a drug possession case that investigators pieced together across two counties.
According to FOX 2, the Hazelwood Police Department reported that the theft occurred on July 9, 2026, when officers responded to a business in the 11700 block of Missouri Bottom Road. Victims told police that someone had stolen solar panels and a battery from the business rooftop, with the stolen equipment valued at approximately $17,000, according to police. That stretch of Missouri Bottom Road sits within a major industrial corridor near St. Louis Lambert International Airport and Interstate 270, an area dominated by large-scale logistics, aerospace, and manufacturing facilities, according to PropertyShark.
Investigators got their break when the victims turned up a photo of a Ford pickup truck entering the property on June 16, 2025, with the truck leaving with large items loaded in its bed, the station's report states. When victims later spotted the same pickup in the area, they contacted officers, who determined the truck's driver was Devin Roberts — a man who, per the same account, had worked at a nearby business.
Search Warrant Leads Police 40 Miles Away
Investigators obtained a search warrant for Roberts' rural property, which was located in Lincoln County — roughly 40 to 50 miles northwest of Hazelwood in the outer rural reaches of the St. Louis metro area, according to Alexander Realty. Officers recovered all of the stolen solar panels from Roberts' property, according to police. During that same search, officers found a rock-like substance in Roberts' bag that was later confirmed to be methamphetamine, according to police.
Under Missouri Revised Statutes § 570.030, stealing property valued at $750 or more is classified as a Class D felony, punishable by up to seven years in prison, according to Rose Legal Services. For methamphetamine possession, less than 35 grams is usually a Class D felony carrying up to seven years in prison, according to the Hensley Law Office.
Solar Equipment Security Concerns
Roberts is due in court for a criminal setting hearing on November 5, 2026. That type of hearing, handled through the 21st Judicial Circuit in Clayton, allows judges and attorneys to set pre-trial motion deadlines, address legal representation, and establish future court dates, according to Rose Legal Services.
Commercial solar panels can attract thieves because of their secondary-market resale value, copper in connecting cables, and modular designs that can be removed with basic tools, according to Airpinpoint. Security planning for remote solar farms can include surveillance, according to ECAM.
Separate copper thefts have affected more than 30 St. Louis buildings, especially churches.
Open Questions Ahead of November Hearing
It remains unclear whether Roberts could pursue Missouri's Drug Court program, which allows non-violent defendants facing Class D felony drug possession charges to access substance abuse treatment in lieu of incarceration upon successful completion, according to Rose Legal Services. Eligibility for that program depends on factors including prior record and prosecutorial consent. Whether Roberts acted alone or whether additional victims exist beyond the Missouri Bottom Road business has not been addressed in the case as reported so far.
