GRANVILLE -- A man authorities claim was trying to cash a stolen check allegedly stole a Granville police cruiser minutes after he was cuffed early Wednesday.

Granville Police Chief Steve Cartnal caught David Simpson, 46, of Granville, barely 2 miles away from the Park National Bank on Broadway, and did so by ordering him to stop over the police radio.

"It was most discomforting when it was happening," Cartnal said.

Officer Keith Blackledge said he was warning area banks to look out for someone cashing checks stolen from a business when Simpson appeared at the Park National Bank drive-through. Blackledge said Simpson was trying to cash such a check in the amount of $700, and placed him under arrest.

Blackledge said he cuffed Simpson, placed him in the back of the cruiser and was in the process of having Simpson's vehicle impounded when Simpson managed to escape. Simpson wriggled one hand free of the cuffs, Blackledge said, lowered the unlocked back window, climbed out and drove off in the cruiser.

"He has skinny wrists and small hands. He basically wrenched his wrist out of them," Blackledge said, adding he thought he had tightened the cuffs as much as necessary without causing injury to Simpson.

Blackledge said Simpson's car was not in the type of condition that would lend itself to giving chase, so he radioed the incident to Cartnal.

As Simpson was driving along Ohio 37 just south of Granville, he heard police on the cruiser radio questioning how he squirmed out of the cuffs, Cartnal said. Simpson got on the police radio and answered: "'I've got really skinny hands,'" Cartnal said.

Cartnal, who was en route behind Simpson, said: "I knew his voice and told him over the radio to pull over and he said: 'OK.'"

Simpson stopped the cruiser at Roseview, a newly built residential subdivision, Blackledge said.

No one was injured, and there was no damage to the police car.

Simpson was charged with theft of checks, forgery, escape and additional charges are pending, Blackledge said.

"It's easy to sit back and say you didn't cuff him tight enough," Cartnal said, "but Officer Blackledge has cuffed hundreds of more people than I have. It's just one of those things."

Simpson is slated to appear today in Licking County Municipal Court for a bond hearing.