FAIRFIELD – An Ottumwa man was arrested in Fairfield in connection to multiple stolen vehicles in different counties.

According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, on Wednesday, June 3, at around 2:24pm, the Jefferson County Communications Center received a call from a resident in the county regarding their vehicle being stolen and located within the city limits of Fairfield. The vehicle was observed on security footage being taken from their home east of Batavia at around 1:30pm.

Minutes after the original call had been received, at 2:28pm, law enforcement located the vehicle, unoccupied, in the Bomgaars parking lot. Authorities say another abandoned vehicle was located less than a mile from where the vehicle had been taken, and it had been reported stolen out of Ottumwa earlier in the day; and the Ottumwa Police Department had a person of interest in the case of that vehicle.

At 4:34pm, law enforcement personnel were dispatched to Goodwill regarding the person of interest from the Ottumwa incident. The man was identified as 51-year-old Peter Serrer of Ottumwa, and a search of his person allegedly revealed items taken from the stolen vehicle east of Batavia as well as the stolen vehicle from Ottumwa.

Serrer was arrested and charged in Jefferson County with 1st Degree Theft of a Motor Vehicle as well as Interference with Official Acts. He also faces multiple charges out of Ottumwa, including 1st Degree Burglary, 2nd Degree Theft of a Motor Vehicle, Domestic Abuse Assault involving Display or Use of a Weapon, and Violation of a No Contact Order. Serrer is currently being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $10,000 bond.