A local man was arrested after he was accused of stealing a truck with the owner’s dog inside while it was parked in front of a local home.
Columbus police were sent to the 300 block of Center Street at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, said Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman.
The truck’s owner advised officers that he left the truck running in front of a friend’s residence and was carrying groceries inside the house when an unknown person took the vehicle with his dog inside, Harris said.
Columbus police and Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputies saw the stolen truck a short time later and attempted to stop it, Harris said. The truck crashed through two locked gates at a business on South Gladstone Avenue where the stolen vehicle came to a stop.
The driver was identified as Richard L. Gahwiller, 43, Columbus, who was arrested on preliminary charges of auto theft, theft and leaving the scene of an accident.
The vehicle, as well as the dog who was unharmed, were returned to the vehicle owner, Harris said.
For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
