He allegedly targeted two vehicles with keys left inside
A Waterford man is charged with vehicle theft after allegedly taking a pickup truck and then deliberately driving it into another vehicle that had parked in front of him in an attempt to prevent him from leaving.
Christopher T. Anstedt, 29, was charged Tuesday in Racine County Circuit Court with operating a vehicle without owners consent, obstructing an officer and two counts of misdemeanor bail jumping.
Anstedt made his initial appearance in court Tuesday via videoconference and was bound over for trial. He was ordered not to have any contact with the victim and not to consume or possess alcohol or controlled substances, according to court records.
The court set signature bond at $1,000 and scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case for Feb. 19.
According to the criminal complaint, Anstedt got out of his mother’s car near Burger King in Waterford on Monday because he “wanted to go home or to Milwaukee to get food stamps.”
Anstedt found a vehicle with its keys in it at Burger King and began backing the vehicle out of it’s parking space when the vehicle’s owner came out of the restaurant and asked what was going on, according to the complaint. Anstedt gave the keys back to the owner and then walked across the street to Maas and Sons, 2807 Beck Drive, where he found a Ford pickup truck with keys inside, the complaint contends.
A witness who was inside Maas and Sons with the owner of the pickup truck then got into his vehicle with the truck’s owner and began to follow Anstedt, according to the complaint.
The witness encountered a Waterford police officer and told officer what had happened. The witness also parked his vehicle in front of the stolen pickup truck at the traffic lights at First and Main streets in Waterford, according to the complaint.
Anstedt then drove the pickup truck into the witness’ vehicle, causing damage, the complaint contends.
The Waterford officer approached Anstedt in an attempt to speak with him, but Anstedt began to run away before being caught by the officer, according to the complaint.
Anstedt was on bond at the time of his arrest stemming from a misdemeanor charge of possession of THC, which dates to April 2019.
For additional Racine County court news see this week’s editions of the Waterford Post, Westine Report or Burlington Standard Press.
-
-
-
-
-