PALMYRA — A Dixmont man has been arrested after getting into a stranger’s car with his dog late at night and putting the keys in the ignition, saying he liked the car and wanted to hear it run, police said.
Chadwick W. Bragg, 20, is charged with unauthorized use of property, according to a press release from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department.
Additional Images
The owner of a red Chevrolet Cobalt SS on Mud Pond Road reported an attempted theft of the vehicle to police after he was awoken at around 11:50 p.m. Friday by the sound of the car running in the driveway, according to the release.
The car owner, whose name is not being released, said he ran from his bedroom to the driveway, where he saw Bragg and a dog in the car, which was stalled because of a safety mechanism.
According to the release, Bragg told police that he “liked the sight of the Cobalt and wanted to hear it run.”
Police said the car owner reached into the vehicle through the passenger side window and removed the keys from the ignition, then ran back into his house to get a handgun. Bragg and the dog ran away from the car, and the owner of the vehicle chased them, said Chief Deputy Dale Lancaster of the sheriff’s department.
A neighbor who also heard the car running came outside and assisted the owner of the car in locating Bragg not far from the driveway. He was arrested at the scene by Deputy Joseph Jackson and transported to the Somerset County Jail in East Madison.
Bragg is scheduled to appear in court on Aug.13.
Rachel Ohm — 612-2368
Send questions/comments to the editors.
