Linton teen arrested in connection with stolen auto

A Linton teen’s nervous behavior last Friday night attracted the attention of a police officer which led to an arrest and an investigation into one and possibly two stolen autos.

Adrian Scott Francis

Adrian Scott Francis, 18, Linton, was arrested by Officer Janzen Franklin of the Linton Police Department late last Friday, January 8.

Around 6:30 p.m. last Friday, Francis was the driver of a silver 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer when the driver’s behavior caught the attention of LPD Officer Franklin in the parking lot of the Arby’s Restaurant in Linton.

Officer Franklin, who was on patrol with LPD Officer John Agan, said he noticed Francis kept looking back at him, appeared nervous and repeatedly checked his mirrors to see if the officer was still behind him.

The behavior prompted Officer Franklin to check records on the Trailblazer’s license plate. BMV records showed the plate belonged on a different vehicle, a 2006 Chevy 2500 truck that had been reported as stolen.

A traffic stop was initiated and LPD Officer Adam King also responded to assist on the scene. Francis allegedly said he knew the plate belonged to a different vehicle. He also said the stolen truck was parked at the residence where he was staying with his girlfriend, a juvenile who was a passenger in the vehicle during the traffic stop.

Both Francis and the juvenile were transported to the Linton Police Department for questioning and the juvenile’s mother was also called in.

Francis at first told one story implicating another person in the theft of the truck but when confronted with facts provided through other interviews, he changed his story.

After recanting his original statement, Francis allegedly said the Trailblazer had just showed up at the residence where he was staying, and that it had been dropped off in the middle of a night with a note that said it was a gift for him. He said he was unsure where it came from.

As for the stolen truck, he said it was parked in the yard of the residence where he was staying, and that’s where officers later located it. He said last November, a friend, that he had met as a juvenile in the Department of Corrections, said he had a truck and asked Francis if he wanted it. Francis accepted and the truck was delivered to him.

Francis said all the VIN numbers had been removed from the truck. He believed it was stolen but he said he didn’t steal it. He allegedly said he decided to scrap it and removed parts which he sold to a scrap yard. Then when he was working to remove something else, the truck caught fire and burned. He admitted he took the license plate from the truck and put it on the Trailblazer.

Francis allegedly said he believed the Trailblazer was also stolen and that he’d never received a title. But he drove it even though he thought it was stolen.

Francis also allegedly admitted that he did not have a driver’s license and had never had a driver’s license and knew he should not be driving.

Francis was arrested and booked into the Greene County Jail last Friday at 10:27 p.m. His bond was set at $8,500 surety with ten percent cash allowed. As of late Monday, he had not yet posted bond and was still in jail.

A criminal case has been filed against Francis and when he appears in Greene Superior Court for an initial hearing, he will be formally charged with:

• Auto theft – component part of vehicle, a Level 6 felony,

• Auto theft – component part of vehicle, a Level 6 felony, and

• Knowingly or intentionally operating a motor vehicle without ever receiving a license, a Class C misdemeanor.