Man steals truck to make court hearing on prior stolen vehicle charge, Oklahoma cops say

An Oklahoma man desperate to make his court hearing is accused of stealing a pickup truck from a gas station and driving himself to the courthouse, police say.

The man was first seen at a gas station in Stillwater, asking people for a ride to the Pawnee County courthouse where he was due for a hearing regarding a stolen vehicle charge, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said in a Sept. 27 news release. However, it seems nobody wanted to give the man a lift to the courthouse.

But then he saw his means of transportation — a white pickup truck just sitting there with the engine running, troopers said. Specifically, it was a supervisor vehicle for an ambulance company called LifeNet, troopers say and photos show.

The man got into the truck and set off for the hearing, troopers said.

The Pawnee County courthouse is a roughly 30-mile drive northeast from Stillwater and takes about 30 minutes.

He ditched the vehicle when he arrived, then was arrested by a trooper as soon as he entered the courthouse, the OHP said.

Despite his arrest, the trooper made sure he still made it to his hearing.

“Trooper (Ryan) Long arrested him after he admitted to ‘borrowing’ the vehicle, took him up to his court date and then took him right back to Payne County,” the highway patrol said.

Records show the man stole the truck on Sept. 24 and was arrested on a charge of larceny of a motor vehicle. His bond is set at $10,000.

Pawnee County is a roughly 50-mile drive northwest from downtown Tulsa.

This story was originally published September 29, 2024 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Man steals truck to make court hearing on prior stolen vehicle charge, Oklahoma cops say."