A Crawford County man faces an auto theft charge related to the theft of a truck from a home in the Tampico area Thursday morning, police report.
Cory L. Despain, 32, of English was booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown at 11:31 a.m. on that Level 6 felony charge and was being held without bond pending his initial court appearance in Jackson Circuit Court.
According to a news release from Jackson County Sheriff Rick Meyer, the incident began when dispatchers received a report of a suspicious male walking up the driveway of a residence on County Road 540S in the Tampico area.
While heading to the area, Meyer said he and county officers Brad Barker and Zach Elliott were told a witness had seen someone drive a white truck away from that residence and knew the driver was not the owner of the truck.
Meyer said the driver of that truck drove east on County Road 540S and then turned north on County Road 600E heading toward State Road 250.
As the driver neared State Road 250, Elliott activated his emergency lights and moved in behind the truck, which pulled over. Meyer said Despain told police he had taken the truck.
The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are possible.
Indiana Conservation Officer Blake Everhart, Brownstown Assistant Police Chief Joe Kelly and Brownstown Detective Jac Sanders assisted with the investigation.
A Level 6 felony is punishable, upon conviction, by a prison sentence of six months to two and a half years in prison. The advisory sentence is one year.