On Thursday evening at around 8:30 PM, certified master car thief 37-year-old Edward Wilson found an unlocked and running Jeep Grand Cherokee in the parking lot of the Sartell, Minnesota Walmart. Being the incredibly talented thief that he is, Wilson opened the door, stepped on board, and piloted the Jeep more than an hour away. At around 10:30 that same night, the rightful owner of the Jeep received a phone call requesting assistance getting the car running again.
The Jeep had been started remotely by the owner to get it warmed up in preparation for her departure from the store. When she went outside to where the SUV had been parked, it was no longer. Wilson had made off with the Jeep in the most elaborate Gone-In-Sixty-Seconds-style of heist, and once he’d turned the car’s ignition off, it was not able to start as the owner still had the key fob in her possession. From local radio station WJON:
According to criminal charges filed in Stearns County District Court, 37-year-old Edward Wilson was seen on surveillance getting into the SUV and driving it away.
As Sartell Police were trying to identify Wilson, a woman called the vehicle’s owner and said she was with a man who wanted to know some information about the vehicle. The man was put on the phone and said he was with an auto glass repair company and had repaired the vehicle, but needed to get it started again in order to return it. He then gave the owner an address in Isle where OnStar could find the vehicle and auto start it.
While he was still on the phone, Isle police were dispatched to confront the suspicious person and follow up on the stolen vehicle. After his arrest, Wilson admitted he was guilty of stealing the vehicle, and that “he knew that it was not a good idea to get in the vehicle,” as stated in the complaint.
Not every car thief can be Randall ‘Memphis’ Raines, I suppose.