A string of stolen items – which include a pickup truck, a lawnmower, and an ATV – has landed a 22-year-old man from Sandusky, Ohio behind bars here in Michigan.
According to Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers stationed at the Caro Post, at about 9pm officers received notification of a vehicle fire on Hunt near Forester. By the time the troopers arrived on the scene, the pickup truck in question was completely engulfed in flames.
Subsequent investigation suggested that the pickup had been stolen from a parking lot in Deckerville, from an owner who had no idea it was even missing until police came knocking. Apparently the accident that led to the fire had occurred when the truck was traveling south and the driver lost control, which resulted in the truck being rolled over into a nearby field and catching fire. The driver was nowhere nearby.
Two instances probably not appeared to be linked
But when troopers had been on their way to the truck fire, they had driven past a riding lawnmower abandoned on the road just south of the fire. At first the two instances had probably not appeared to be linked, but in searching for the driver of the truck, police began to wonder.
Officers contacted a nearby homeowner and asked about the lawnmower. It turns out the the driver of the stolen pickup may have had something to do with the stolen-and-then-abandoned lawnmower as well.
And it was at that time that officers noticed an ATV pull out onto the road from another nearby residence and begin traveling down the road. Curious as to whether or not there was any connection to the other two vehicle thefts, officers attempted to pull the driver over.
But the ATV rider refused and evaded the officers, which resulted in his accidentally striking a tree, and then fleeing the scene. The Sanilac County Sheriff’s Department attempted to pursue the suspect on foot with a police dog, but had no success.
Police investigated the two garages where the lawnmower and then ATV had been stolen from, and determined who may have been responsible.
The following day, the Sanilac County Sheriff’s Department received yet another report of a stolen vehicle from the same area, and discovered another abandoned pickup truck nearby when they arrived on the scene. This time the K9 unit was successful.
A police dog was able to track footprints from the second stolen pickup directly to a residence where a man was discovered and arrested. According to MSP, the suspect was arrested on a charge of probation violation, but they intend to seek additional charges, which include the unlawful driving away of an automobile, breaking and entering, and fleeing the scene of an accident.