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Man allegedly stole vehicle

FAIRMONT — A Welcome man is facing a felony charge in Martin County.

Thomas Joe Chavez, 49, has been charged with theft of a motor vehicle, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the report:

At 6:28 p.m. Dec. 18, a Sherburn/Welcome police officer received a call indicating that Korte’s Bar and Grill in Welcome had kicked out a male who had been picking fights with other customers, and who was making people believe he had a gun. The caller indicated the man was in the driver’s seat of a vehicle in the parking lot, and appeared to be reaching for something from the center console.

The officer was traveling to the location when he received another call noting that the man had put the vehicle in a ditch and was now back inside the bar.

As the officer arrived, a male fitting the suspect’s description was walking north on the roadway about 200 yards from the vehicle. The man was later identified as Chavez.

Chavez walked up to the squad car and asked for a ride home. He said he was walking home, and that he was drunk. The officer observed that Chavez was swaying and shivering, with the wind chill at about 22 degrees below zero. The officer had Chavez sit in the back of the squad car to get out of the weather while they talked.

Chavez again said he was drunk, and that his buddy had put the vehicle in the ditch. The officer asked for his friend’s number, but Chavez refused, and the officer observed that Chavez was confused, and had trouble giving his middle name.

Chavez later admitted to driving the vehicle into the ditch, but did not know to whom the vehicle belonged.

A Martin County deputy responded to the scene and spoke with a Korte’s employee, who said Chavez was belligerent and was asked to leave. After several minutes, Chavez entered a blue 2000 Ford Expedition. The employee observed Chavez drive the vehicle in reverse and then toward Dugan street.

The deputy also spoke with a person who was in the bar that night. He said he had left the bar to warm up his vehicle, and then came back inside the bar. When he exited to leave, the vehicle was not where it had been parked, and the deputy confirmed the vehicle in the ditch was registered to him.

Chavez told the officer, “Take me to jail.”

At the jail, Chavez agreed to a breath test. Chavez agreed to speak with an officer and said he remembered being drunk, as well as driving into the ditch.

A check on Chavez’s record indicates he has a conviction for a DWI from August 2007. Chavez’s driving privilege is cancelled as inimical to public safety.

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