Police nab vehicle thief by using GPS tracking, video footage, report says

The caller said they were able to track the vehicle via a phone that was left inside of it. The caller told police the vehicle was near East McKinney Street. Officers found the vehicle and stopped it near the 1000 block of Teasley Lane, according to the report.

Officers asked the driver how he came into possession of the vehicle. He told police somebody told him he could use the vehicle if he brought it back, according to the report.

Officers reviewed footage where the vehicle was stolen. The footage showed the man getting in the vehicle.

The victim told police he had just stopped at a business to grab a drink when the man had taken his vehicle without permission.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a felony punishable by as much as two years in state jail and a $10,000 fine. After finding the man possessed drugs not prescribed to him, officers recommended the man also be prosecuted on a misdemeanor drug charge, according to the report.

Other reports

1700 block of South Loop 288 — A 37-year-old man was jailed Friday on suspicion of shoplifting after a store manager accused him of eating food he didn’t pay for and stealing merchandise.

At about 8:20 a.m. Friday, Denton police officers were dispatched to the 1700 block of South Loop 288, where staff gave a description of an alleged shoplifter.

Upon arrival, officers located a man matching the description about half a mile away from the store. The man admitted to being at the location and told police he was involved in a verbal altercation with a store employee, according to a police report.

Officers saw that he was carrying a bag of merchandise from the store, and the man admitted to taking it from the shelves, according to the report.

He was detained, and officers returned to the store to speak with the manager. The manager told police the man had asked for a bag when he walked into the store and was given a plastic shopping bag. The man then placed multiple items inside the bag throughout the store, according to the police report.

The manager confronted the man when he started eating food he did not pay for, and after a few confrontations, the man left the store with the items he had placed in the bag, according to the report.

The total value of the merchandise in the bag was less than $100.

Police arrested the man on suspicion of misdemeanor shoplifting and while booking him, discovered he’d given officers a false date of birth, according to the report. The man, who didn’t possess any form of identification, was accused of a second misdemeanor: failure to identify.

300 block of West Eagle Drive — a 30-year-old man was jailed Friday after being questioned about a Sept. 8 bike theft and running from police, according to the police report.

At about 4:39 p.m. Friday, an off-duty officer saw a man in the area repairing a bicycle. The off-duty officer was aware of a bike theft that occurred on Sept. 8 in the 300 block of Fry Street.

The off-duty officer contacted on-duty officers, including one who had reviewed surveillance footage of the bike theft and had first-hand knowledge of the offense.

Officers arrived and told the man they were investigating the bike theft. The man was told several times that he was not free to leave, according to a police report. The man ran off while officers reviewed video surveillance of the alleged bike theft.

He was given commands to stop running, and he continued to evade officers. He ran across the block and continued to evade officers, according to the report.

The man stopped after officers placed a marked patrol unit in his path. A taser was unholstered but not used, according to the report.

The man accused of misdemeanor evading arrest and was found to have two warrants on charges out of Denton and Highland Village.

The bike theft was under investigation as of Friday.

Roundup

From 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Friday, the Denton Police Department handled 388 service and officer-initiated calls and made 10 arrests.