Rochester Teen Accused of Stealing Vehicle from Hy-Vee Parking Lot Arrested After Wyoming Pursuit
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A Rochester man is in custody after authorities in Wyoming captured him following a chase involving a vehicle stolen from a Rochester Hy-Vee.
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That’s according to a warrant complaint filed in Olmsted County Court on Wednesday. The alleged vehicle theft occurred in August.
The warrant says Rochester police responded to the report of a vehicle theft at the Crossroads Hy-Vee on August 22.
The victim told officers he parked his vehicle at the grocery store around 10:00 the previous night and noticed it was gone when he returned to the parking lot around 6 a.m. the next day.
A review of surveillance footage showed a man, later identified as 18-year-old David Joshua Whitney-Vigil, stealing the empty vehicle around 1:30 a.m. on August 22, the complaint says.
Police entered the vehicle’s information in a nationwide database. On August 24, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office in southern Wyoming reported locating Whitney-Vigil with the stolen vehicle, according to the warrant.
The law enforcement agency reported Whitney-Vigil fled an attempted traffic stop for a broken taillight on Interstate 80.
Wyoming Authorities Use PIT Maneuver To Stop Rochester Man in Stolen Vehicle
The pursuing deputy initiated a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) maneuver to end the chase. The PIT maneuver caused the stolen vehicle to roll, the complaint states.
Wyoming deputies found a juvenile girl riding with Whitney-Vigil and reported she suffered a broken ankle in the crash.
Whitney-Vigil was arrested in Wyoming on suspicion of Fleeing and Eluding, equipment-taillights, speeding, signal required, failure to maintain lanes, reckless driving, stop sign violation, interference, theft, DUS (driving under suspension) and registration required.
In Olmsted County Whitney-Vigil is charged with felony motor vehicle theft. The young Rochester man is currently being held in the Carbon County Jail, according to court records.
A first court appearance for Whitney-Vigil in the Rochester vehicle theft case has not yet been scheduled.
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Gallery Credit: Carly Ross
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