Man Accused Of Stealing Ind. Police Car Caught

Published January 13, 2012 7:18AM (EST)

KNOX, Ind. (AP) — A man accused of stealing a police cruiser while handcuffed in northwest Indiana, then using the radio to ask police where to find the cigarette lighter, has turned himself in.

Authorities say 22-year-old William Francis Blankenship was taken into custody late Thursday night when officers met him at his family's home in Knox.

Blankenship had been arrested Tuesday on drug charges in nearby Kouts, a small town about 50 miles southeast of Chicago.

Police say he escaped from the police car's backseat as the arresting officer searched Blakenship's vehicle, then climbed into the front and drove off. He then used the police radio to ask where to find the car's cigarette lighter and a key to his handcuffs.

The cruiser was found the next day submerged in a drainage ditch.


By Salon Staff

MORE FROM Salon Staff


Related Topics ------------------------------------------