A Pulaski man is facing a felony auto theft charge for allegedly stealing a vehicle to help pull his friend out of a ditch.
Jacob B. Vandreel, 20, is accused of taking a Chevy pickup truck from the Green Valley Service Center on Nov. 29.
According to the criminal complaint, the incident started shortly before 2 a.m. on County Road E in Green Valley, when Shawano County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call from a homeowner stating that someone had driven through the yard and gotten stuck in a ditch.
The man driving the vehicle left on foot and returned with another man in a truck who was helping him pull the vehicle out, according to the homeowner.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived just as the first vehicle was being pulled out of the ditch. The man who had been driving that vehicle fled on foot when he saw the sheriff’s squad, according to the criminal complaint.
The driver of the truck was identified as Vandreel, who told authorities he was just passing by and helped someone out of a ditch. He was allowed to leave the scene.
The truck Vandreel was driving was later found abandoned on Laney Road in Green Valley with a “blown up engine.”
The truck had been reported stolen from the Green Valley Service Center, where it was in for repairs, according to the complaint.
Vandreel later admitted taking the truck, according to the criminal complaint, telling authorities it was a stupid mistake, but he was just trying to help out a friend.
He also said the incident wouldn’t have happened if the keys hadn’t been left in the truck.
Vandreel could face a maximum six years in prison and $10,000 fine if found guilty of operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent. No initial court date has been set.
According to the complaint, the driver of the vehicle who drove into the ditch and fled the scene was a 19-year-old from Oconto Falls. He has been charged with misdemeanor counts of obstructing an officer and operating after revocation.
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