Adolfo V. Bautista, 54, address at large in Indianapolis, was charged with theft of a motor vehicle related to an incident Wednesday, July 26, at the Huntsville Marathon gas station, 6990 State Route 117, Huntsville.
Deputies of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office responded about 9:30 p.m. to the gas station on a report of a theft of a vehicle.
Deputies spoke with the victim, who stated she had stopped at the gas station and then went inside the store.
She said when she went back outside, she heard a car door slam and determined that it was similar to her car. She then observed the suspect sitting in the driver’s seat of her 2002 Toyota Camry.
The victim said she then began yelling at him and threw several soda cans at her vehicle to try to get him to stop. However, the suspect reportedly drove off in the vehicle, turning southbound onto Lima Street.
While speaking with the victim, deputies were informed that troopers of the Ohio State Highway Patrol had located the vehicle and then were able to get it stopped in the area of U.S. Route 33 just east of Marysville in Union County.
The driver of the stolen vehicle was identified as Bautista, who reportedly is not a U.S. citizen. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was contacted by dispatchers.
The defendant was placed under arrest and transported to the Logan County Jail, where he was interviewed with the assistance of a Spanish-speaking interpreter.
Bautista told deputies that he had been driving in the area with a friend from Indianapolis, and he and the friend got into an argument. He said his friend left him at the Huntsville gas station and that’s when he noticed the victim’s car door was open and the keys were in the ignition of the vehicle.
The defendant said he did not take anything out of the vehicle, but had taken it with the intent of driving somewhere so he could sleep. He told deputies he had not slept in two days due to being high on methamphetamine.
