Cops track truck thief to storage units

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) - The 32-year-old Battle Creek man was arrested Wednesday evening for allegedly stealing a pickup truck, breaking into six storage units and producing meth.

Authorities from the Southwest Commercial Auto Recovery Team (SCAR) and the Southwest Enforcement Team (SWET) said they received a tip that the truck would be stolen from the Battle Creek Transportation Center commuter parking lot and used to break into Gobles-area storage units.

Detectives surveilled the lot Wednesday and saw the suspect steal the truck. They followed him for 50 miles to Gobles, where they saw the suspect break into six separate storage units at two different facilities.

While at the second facility, Michigan State Police troopers and SCAR and SWET detectives moved in to arrest the man.

After arresting the man, authorities executed a search warrant at his Battle Creek home and found evidence of meth production.

The owners of the stolen items have all be contacted and their property was returned. The only property damaged was the six padlocks that were cut to gain entry to the storage units.

The suspect was lodged in the Van Buren County jail pending arraignment on charges in Van Buren and Calhoun counties.