A 43-year-old Weirsdale man was arrested after he allegedly stole an unlocked vehicle that was parked on the street near a residence in Marion County.
On Thursday, March 3, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to the local residence in reference to the theft of a vehicle.
Upon arrival, a male victim stated that he had returned home at around 1:30 a.m. and he had parked his 2002 Ford Explorer alongside the road near his home. When he stepped outside at 11:30 a.m., he noticed that the vehicle was gone.
The victim told the deputy that he had left the vehicle unlocked and he was unsure if the keys were inside. According to the MCSO report, the victim’s vehicle contained two pool sticks ($500 value), a toolbox with miscellaneous tools ($30 value), a jump box ($50 value), and an iPhone 11 ($800 value).
On Friday, March 4, an MCSO corporal located the victim’s vehicle near the 12600 block of S U.S. Highway 441 in Belleview. When a traffic stop was attempted and the driver refused to pull over, the corporal successfully performed a P.I.T. maneuver.
The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, Robert Joseph Gibson, was detained. The corporal attempted to conduct an interview with Gibson, but he refused to discuss the matter.
The MCSO report indicated that the vehicle was searched, and the victim’s pool sticks, toolbox, jump box, and iPhone 11 were missing.
Gibson was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $8,000 bond. He is facing felony charges for grand theft of a motor vehicle, grand theft (less than $5,000), and fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer.
A court date has been scheduled on Tuesday, April 5 at 9 a.m., according to jail records.