Police in Delaware have arrested a man for stealing his own truck from a repair shop.
Donald A. Smith II, 30, of Bear, Del. was charged with Theft of Services under $1,500, two counts of Criminal Mischief, second-degree Criminal Trespass, and driving with a suspended license, among other charges. He was released after posting bail.
Investigators say that Smith used a front-end loader to remove his 1999 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck from the repair shop's property early Friday morning. The truck was being held there because Smith had defaulted on the payment he owed for repairs that had previously been done. Police say surveillance footage showed the front-end-loader carrying the pickup off the property on its forks.
Smith was later observed operating the front-end loader in the parking lot of a local restaurant. As police approached, investigators say that Smith drove through a wooded area onto U.S. Route 13. Then, police say, Smith led them on a 35-minute chase that ended when he drove the front-end loader into a retention pond located behind a row of houses. Smith was able to swim to shore, and was arrested without incident.
