Stealing City of Kingston vehicle ends in charges for local man
A local man is facing multiple charges after stealing a City of Kingston work truck and attempting to flee police in it.
The incident began at approximately 10:20 a.m. on Wednesday, Jun. 16, 2021, when City of Kingston employees at the Novelis facility at 945 Princess Street observed a man get into one of their white Ford F-250 trucks and drive off in the vehicle with a trailer attached to it. Kingston Police were contacted immediately, and located the truck a short while later driving southbound on Highway 38 approaching Highway 401.
According to police, at that time, two Canine Units in their SUVs attempted to stop the man in the stolen truck, which initially pulled over to the shoulder of the road, but then pulled away, driving directly towards one officer before veering off. The driver then proceeded to head eastbound on Highway 401.
Kingston Police officers followed the stolen vehicle, and alerted Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers (for safety reasons) who were working on an earlier collision scene involving two transport truck on Highway 401 near Highway 15. When the truck approached the Highway 15 exit near the OPP collision scene and slowed down, the vehicle was boxed in by Kingston Police Canine and uniform patrol vehicles and brought to a stop.
“The accused was initially uncooperative with police commands but officers were able to gain entry to the truck, turn it off, and remove the man, who was promptly arrested, handcuffed, and transported to the police station,” Kingston Police said in a press release. “City workers were able to retrieve the truck with no damage.”
As a result, the 35-year-old Kingston man is being held in cells to attend a bail hearing on Thursday, Jun. 17, 2021, and is charged with:
- Theft of a motor vehicle
- Possession of stolen property exceeding $5,000
- Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
- Failure to stop for police