ST. LOUIS • St. Louis Auto Park has let its presence be known in a big way near the intersection of Delmar Boulevard and North 14th Street.

Two-story signs are slapped up on the side of the building, featuring security guards and disturbing crime stats. At one point last year, the area was the worst place to park in the city for break-ins.

There are multiple parking lots that mainly serve tourists headed to City Museum that have been hit by petty crime, an offense that usually goes unpunished and often leaves people with bad memories of downtown.

Though close to the action, St. Louis Auto Park owner Patrick Hamill III boasts a perfect record since he opened in 2015 and encourages people to park there.

Parking in St. Louis Patrick Hamill, owner of St. Louis Auto Park, sits in the office of his covered parking garage on Monday, June 5, 2017. Hamill charges custome…

He offers indoor garage spaces, watchful parking attendants and more than 30 surveillance cameras that are usually monitored all the time.

The cost to park there is $15 a slot, which apparently doesn’t cover the bills.

“It’s my labor of love,” Hamill, 77, of Frontenac, said of his business.

But last week, a man challenged his reputation and claim to be the safest place to park in St. Louis by slipping past security. According to surveillance video provided by the business, the apparent thief had a knack for blending in.

He showed up on camera around 9 a.m. Sept. 13, dressed in a bright orange sweatshirt. He soon focused on a Ford F-250 pickup parked in a small patch of outside parking spaces.

First, the man stepped back for a moment to check for activity and pull a hood over his head. Returning a few seconds later, he grabbed a gas can from another truck and used it to smash the driver’s side window of the Ford. It sustained several blows before the glass finally broke.

Once inside, he rifled through the cab. He left the truck five minutes later carrying a bag. Before vanishing from view, he changed into a bright yellow construction vest apparently stolen from the vehicle and dumped a pile of items in the parking lot, including two passports.

Hamill said a mail carrier came across the discarded items a short time later, which led to the discovery of the break-in. Hamill said he was more upset than the victim, who is helping turn the former home of International Shoe Co. into a hotel on Washington Avenue. The passports left behind were to be used for a honeymoon coming up soon.

While Hamill nursed his ego over the security breach, a few hours passed as he waited for police to show up and investigate. There was evidence to process, such as a spare truck key suspiciously left on the driver’s seat.

“We thought it was all over with,” Hamill said.

Then, around noon, apparently the same man came back.

This time, Hamill saw him. He wore the bright yellow work vest taken from the truck earlier in the day and carried a board over his shoulder to look like a construction worker.

Hamill confronted the man from inside the cab of the Ford pickup. Hamill said the man told him that he was picking up the truck for his boss.

When Hamill radioed to call police, the man walked off, followed by parking lot attendants. At least one loyal attendant, who usually monitors the surveillance cameras, followed the man several blocks, until sheriff’s deputies apprehended the man near the Civil Courts Building on Tucker Boulevard.

Clinton Hollingsworth, 27, was arrested and charged with property damage and stealing. According to court records, he allegedly stole an iPad Pro, shirt and vest from the Ford F-250 and smashed the window of the pickup with the purpose of stealing.

Records say Hollingsworth is homeless and has struggled with serious mental illness and drugs. In recent months, he also was accused of trespassing at a downtown gas station and violating the rules and regulations of rapid transit. He’s served time in jail.

Since there was an arrest in the case, Hamill said his reputation remains intact.

“Here’s the most important thing for me,” he said. “That I have a perfect score for break-ins. I am the only one in the city of St. Louis who can say that.”

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