Anti-Theft Device Leads to Arrest of North Carolina Man in Truck Theft

A stolen car taken from North Carolina earlier this week led to the arrest of a man police said drove it from Fayetteville, N.C., to Southington before it could be tracked and rendered inoperable with an anti-theft device.

Southington officers, working alongside Fayetteville police, tracked down and arrested Dustan James Bentley, of 810 Silk Lane in Fayetteville, NC, on charges of second-degree larceny.

Bentley was arraigned in Bristol Superior Court Thursday and held, with bail set at $5,000, according to court records. It was unclear whether he had been arrested in any cases previously, although he does not have a criminal record in Connecticut.

“The vehicle, a Chevy pick-up truck, was tracked using a GPS feature, but they couldn’t pinpoint the location because it remained on the move,” said Southington Police Sgt. Lowell DePalma. “When he parked the truck at 800 Queen St., near McDonald’s, the anti-theft device was able to render the truck inoperable.”

DePalma said police went door to door in order to identify Bentley, then proceeded to set up a surveillance around the truck. When he returned, officers took him into custody without incident.

Court officials anticipate that Bentley will be taken back to North Carolina. The truck, which was not damaged in the theft, will be used as evidence and returned to the owner, police said.