Man Arrested For Stealing Police Car From Headquarters
10-28-03
Orlando, FL – A man is in custody, charged with stealing an Orlando Police Department patrol car. The patrol car was stolen from the parking lot at the main police headquarters in downtown Orlando. It was recovered just before midnight at an apartment complex in Hunter’s Creek.
Here’s how the crime happened. The officer parked his cruiser in back of the station and went inside the building. The problem is, the officer not only left the car unlocked, but also left it running.
The car was gone for about 20 minutes before police got calls that a patrol car was being driven recklessly. It took another 20 minutes to find it. Orange County deputies spotted the cruiser near the Falcon Trace Apartments in the Hunter’s Creek area and arrested 35-year-old Scott Allan Villanueva.
He told police that he took the car because he needed a ride home. He said that his car was towed and didn’t have transportation. Police think Villanueva was drunk.
He was taken to the Orange County Jail where he is being held on no bond. At the very least, he’ll be charged with grand theft, auto.
The watch commander isn’t saying which negligent officer allowed this to happen. She did say he’s been with the department for a couple of years, but she isn’t telling us how the officer will be disciplined.