Lang
11/15/20
A transient didn’t take “no” for an answer last month when a driver refused his request for a ride to Cedar Rapids, Instead, he stole the man’s car and drove there himself.
27-year-old Quincy Bartels was booked into the Johnson County Jail just before 11pm Friday. Iowa City Police say Bartels was at the Mormon Trek Boulevard Delimart just after 11:30 the night of October 16th when he approached a customer in the parking lot and asked for a ride to Cedar Rapids. When the man said no, Bartels asked for ten cents. The man gave him a quarter, and the two went inside the business to make purchases.
Bartels left the store first, and when the other man left he noticed his car missing.
The man found Bartels’ belongings on the side of the store, including his identity. Bartles had been dropped off at Delimart earlier in the evening by a Johnson County Sheriff’s deputy, who was also able to identify Bartels.
Bartels was arrested the next day after he was found behind the wheel of the stolen vehicle at a Casey’s in Cedar Rapids. He was taken into custody by Cedar Rapids Police, and reportedly told them he knew he’d made a mistake. Bartels was charged with Operating A Vehicle Without Owners’ Consent, a charge which was dropped by Linn County prosecutors on Thursday.
Bartels is now charged with 2nd Degree Theft in Johnson County. If convicted, he faces a maximum of five years in prison.
