STEUBEN COUNTY, IND. – (WTVB) – The Indiana State Police arrested a stranded motorist on the Indiana Toll Road near Angola on Thursday afternoon after it turned out the man was a suspected car thief and the car he was driving was reported to be stolen out of State College, Pennsylvania.
Troopers stopped to lend a helping hand to the man identified as 20-year-old Joshua Anthony Lewis-Brown from Rochester, New York as he trying to change a flat tire.
Trooper Craig Woodcox was preparing to help Brown but State Police say the fictitious homemade paper license plate which was handwritten in crayon on a grocery bag raised obvious suspicion and led to further investigation.
After running a check of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), Woodcox discovered the car had been reported as stolen the day prior.
The Troopers’ also found that Brown had never been licensed to operate a motor vehicle in any state and was currently on probation for Grand Larceny.
Brown was arrested without incident and taken to the Steuben County Jail where he was booked and charged with Possession of Stolen Property and Operating Without Ever Obtaining a License. Brown will be held on the Indiana charges, and then will face extradition back to Pennsylvania pending their local charges.
It was later learned the stolen vehicle had been left unattended and unlocked with the engine running outside of a local grocery store by the proper owner. The owner, wanting to keep his car warming in the cold weather temperatures, had run into make a quick purchase, only to find his car missing upon return.
In light of this particular circumstance, the Indiana State Police would remind all motorists that leaving your vehicle unattended with the engine running and doors unlocked, is never a good idea.
