Car thief gets 10 years

POLSON — A 24-year-old man who stole a truck from Missoula and crashed it into a fence near Lake Mary Ronan Road was sentenced to 10 years in jail as part of a plea agreement in Lake County District Court last Wednesday.

John Graves pleaded guilty to charges of theft and criminal mischief, both felonies, on May 2. Graves was given two 10-year sentences for both counts that will run concurrently of each other.

According to Lake County Sheriff Office and Missoula Police Department reports, on Oct. 6, 2011, Graves stole a 2009 GMC Denali truck and drove it into Lake County. On the same day, the owner of the vehicle reported the vehicle missing and the OnStar system was able to track the Denali.

Lake County dispatch was notified and after there were reports of the stolen truck near Elmo, law enforcement located the vehicle and started a traffic stop on Lake Mary Ronan Road. According to court documents, Graves stopped the vehicle and after he was ordered to step out of the truck, he drove away at a high rate of speed heading northbound on U.S. Highway 93.

About a mile later, Graves turned the vehicle off the road, drove through a grass field and hit a barbed wire fence. The OnStar system then disabled the vehicle. Graves tried to restart the vehicle and caused damage to the interior of it while trying to disable the OnStar system but he was unsuccessful.

Law enforcement told Graves to give up but he refused to exit the vehicle. Graves told officers that he wanted a cigarette and they were eventually successful in tricking the man with tobacco products and forcibly removed him from the vehicle.

Graves faced a maximum of 20 years and a fine of $100,000 and was not present for his Dec. 14 court date for arraignment. Because of that, a warrant was put out for his arrest.