Staff Report

Michelle Tara Wess

ROCHESTER — A woman with prior auto theft convictions was arrested in Fulton County for allegedly stealing a vehicle belonging to the City of Rochester.

Michelle Tara Wess, 39, Rockville, is charged with auto theft with a prior conviction, a level 5 felony.

On May 17, a Rochester Police officer was notified about a wastewater department pickup truck belonging to the City of Rochester being stolen during the overnight hours.

According to court documents, the truck was stolen from the facility on Monticello Road, and found parked along the road at Fulton Avenue. City employees also said there was surveillance footage of a woman walking around the wastewater department facility and climbing into multiple vehicles before leaving in the truck.

The day prior, on May 16, Rochester Police Department received multiple reports about a woman, later identified as Wess, looking into vehicle windows. Her clothing description for that day matched what the woman shown in the surveillance footage was wearing.

Wess was found at a local store and admitted to taking the vehicle because she didn’t know how to get out of the wastewater department.

Wess has prior auto theft convictions from Johnson, Lake, and Marion Counties.

Wess has a pretrial conference in Fulton County on June 17.