Two From Illinois Charged With Stealing Vehicle Parked Outside Of Local Church
WARSAW — A man and woman from Illinois who were released from jail pending accusations of car theft allegedly did not wait long to try it again.
Eric Allen Smith, 39, 24909 Como Road, Sterling, Ill.; and Maggie Mae Scarbrough, 19, 707 Grant Ave., Dixon, Ill., are each being charged with auto theft, a level 6 felony.
On May 8, Smith and Scarbrough were arrested by an Indiana State Police officer and taken to the Kosciusko County Jail after determining the vehicle they were using was stolen from Illinois.
On May 10, both Smith and Scarbrough were released from the Kosciusko County Jail.
On the same day, an officer with the Warsaw Police Department responded to a vehicle theft reported at First Presbyterian Church. The officer arrived at the scene and spoke with a man who said he had parked his vehicle outside of the church’s exit door to unload items. The doors were unlocked and the keys were in the ignition when it was taken.
According to court documents, the man said when he parked his vehicle, he saw a man and woman, later identified as Smith and Scarbrough, walking in an alley.
On June 5, police received information from the Dixon Police Department in Illinois. The department told the officer they had recovered a stolen vehicle and that Smith and Scarbrough were in possession of the vehicle.
For the May 10 incident, Smith was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail on July 24, with a $26,250 surety and cash bond. Scarbrough was booked in the KCJ on July 25 with a $26,250 surety and cash bond.