Shattered windows and a screwdriver in the ignition of a 2005 Dodge Caravan alerted Holmes Beach police to a stolen vehicle.
Richard Wiley II, 28, of Bradenton was arrested April 25 on a felony grand theft charge after HBPD determined the vehicle had been reported stolen in November 2016 from a Manatee County apartment complex in the 3700 block of Manatee Avenue West.
Wiley was stopped by Officer Jason Higgins at 3:49 p.m. while driving southbound near the East Bay Drive-Gulf Drive intersection.
Wiley told police the owner’s daughter “could clear this up.”
According to Higgins’ report, Wiley told police the van had been abandoned in his backyard “for some time” and a neighbor helped him hotwire it so he could get to work.
At the scene, HBPD Detective Sgt. Brian Hall said Higgins “found the guy driving around in it,” noting it was the officer’s second felony grand theft arrest of the week.
The vehicle was towed.
Wilkes was transported to the Manatee County jail, where he was booked and posted a $1,500 bond.
His arraignment is set for 9 a.m. Friday, May 26, at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.