Nude trucker pleads guilty to semi’s theft

HARRISON COUNTY, MO — A Creston, Iowa, man pled guilty in Harrison County Circuit Court to stealing a semi tractor and to property damage in connection with a bizarre incident that occurred last winter near Blythedale, MO. The man was arrested wearing nothing but a trench coat, authorities say. Richard Ronald Walzer, 45, was scheduled to stand trial on the felony charges but withdrew his earlier plea of not guilty before the jury could be seated. Walzer pled guilty to a felony of tampering in the first degree and a felony of property damage in the first degree. He reportedly stole a Volvo semi and trailer in Altoona, Iowa, and drove the vehicle to Kansas City where he abandoned the trailer. The semi unit later struck a utility pole near the Bill Selby house on Route T south of Blythedale. Selby found the unit abandoned on his property. Law officers traced Walzer to a nearby mobile home where he was found hiding under box springs. He was nude with the exception of a trench coat. Authorities said a laptop computer showing a pornographic movie was found running inside the cab of the vehicle. The court has ordered a sentence assessment report from the state Division of Probation and Parole and has set sentencing for Nov. 29, 2012.