Man Steals Woman’s Car, Then Calls Her for Help to Start It

Man Steals Woman’s Car, Then Calls Her for Help to Start It
Walmart location where suspect stole woman's car, in Sartell, Minn. (Screenshot via Google Maps)
Colin Fredericson
2/9/2018
Updated:
2/9/2018

A man in Minnesota was arrested after stealing a woman’s car from a Walmart parking lot, and then calling her after he couldn’t start it.

Edward Leroy Wilson stole the car, a Jeep Cherokee, outside of a Walmart in Sartell. The owner started the car with a remote device while still inside the store. Wilson drove it all the way to the City of Isle, Minnesota, about 70 miles away, according to USA Today.
But after parking and turning off the car, he couldn’t get it started again. He got a woman to call the owner, about two hours after he stole it. He spoke to the car’s owner on the phone and said he was with an auto glass company and had taken the vehicle for repairs. He said he needed to know how to start the car so he could drive the vehicle back to her, according to court documents.

He asked her to call a company that could start the vehicle and allow him to drive it, giving her his current location, according to the document.

The owner called police with the location. As it turned out they were already headed to that same location for a complaint about a suspicious person. A woman had called after a strange man was at her apartment asking her for information she didn’t have, according to the court document.

At the same time, Isle police received information from Stearns County, where the car was originally stolen from that the Cherokee was at the same location, according to the document.

Police found the stolen vehicle and Wilson at the apartment complex. Wilson initially also told officers he was with an auto glass company. His description matched that of the Walmart thief seen in surveillance footage, according to the court document.

The court document reveals what Wilson said after police took him into custody.

“The defendant admitted that he got the Jeep Grand Cherokee at Walmart. The defendant advised that he knew the vehicle was not his. The defendant advised that he knew that it was not a good idea to get in the vehicle.”

The 37-year-old man faces felony charges carrying a maximum of five years in prison.

From NTD.tv
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Colin is a New York-based reporter. He covers Entertainment, U.S., and international news. Besides writing for online news outlets he has worked in online marketing and advertising, done voiceover work, and has a background in sound engineering and filmmaking. His foreign language skills include Spanish and Chinese.