Hunter
10/29/20
An Iowa City man has been taken into custody after allegedly stealing a car to go to the grocery store.
According to police, they were dispatched to the 2000 block of Broadway Street just after 8am Wednesday for a report of a motor vehicle theft that had just occurred. According to the victim, their 2013 Hyundai Elantra was left running due to the cold weather.
Approximately 45 minutes later, police reportedly observed 18-year-old Byron Jackson of Paddock Circle operating the stolen vehicle near Broadway and Crosspark Avenue. He pulled into a parking lot on the 900 block of Crosspark and ran into the building.
Officers made contact with Jackson several minutes later at one of the apartments in the building. After being read his rights, Jackson allegedly admitted to taking the vehicle and using it to go to HyVee. He later told officers where he had concealed the key in the apartment, and it was located in a box in the kitchen.
Jackson was taken into custody and charged with First Degree Theft, a Class C Felony punishable by a prison sentence of up to ten years if convicted.