Clay County, ND - Police Car Stolen from Outside Loud Party
Police Car's Bumper was Damaged and the Siren Broken Off
02-09-06
The words immediately caught the attention of officers breaking up a party in South Moorhead. "I can't believe that he stole a police car." That news shouted by a partygoer, sent officers rushing out to check on their squad cars. Too Late. They discovered one missing.
The vehicle was recovered later, but the incident has led to charges against an 18 yr. old Moorhead man. and an internal department review into what went wrong and how it will be avoided in the future.
According to Clay County District Court Records:
About 1:40 a.m., officer's Jay Phillippi and Cory Borkenhagen were dispatched in separate cars to a loud party at 721 10TH St. S. While breaking up the party, the officers heard someone yell that a police car was just stolen. Moments later, the officers realized Phillippi's vehicle was missing. At about the same time, a member of the public phoned dispatch to report that the squad car had become stuck in a snow bank in the 700 block of Ninth St. S.
Witnesses told police that a man got out of the squad car and into a station wagon, stating as he did so, "Hey Dude, I just stole a cop car". An investigation identified the suspect as Tristan Edward Ehlenfeldt, 3301 14th St. Ehlenfeldt told police that when he left the party, he checked the doors of the squad car and found one unlocked. He said that he took the squad car for a ride and then got it stuck in the snow.
The car's bumper was damaged and the siren was broken off. The damages totaled $426, according to court documents. Ehlenfeldt said that his actions were to be intended as a joke and he regretted them.
The incident has prompted an internal department investigation, according to Deputy Chief Wayne Arnold. To avoid constant shutdown of onboard computer systems, it is typical for officers to leave squad cars running but locked when unattended for short periods of time, Arnold said.