WESTOVER — It took local law enforcement less than 30 minutes Tuesday afternoon to track down a stolen vehicle and apprehend the wanted fugitive ultimately charged with taking it.
According to a press release issued by Westover Police Chief Scott Carl, officers with the WPD responded to the WestRidge Exxon station at 3:47 p.m. following a 911 call reporting a vehicle theft.
The release states an unidentified male arrived at the gas station in a while Hyundai, which was later confirmed to be stolen out of Carmichaels, Pennsylvania. The suspect exited the Hyundai, entered a Chevy Tahoe and drove away from the scene.
The Graville Police Department found the Tahoe unoccupied a short time later in the University Town Centre Walmart parking lot. Walmart personnel provided surveillance footage showing the suspect leaving the vehicle, giving officers both a physical description and a direction of travel.
The suspect, John Christopher Sullivan, of Carmichaels, was subsequently located and determined to be a fugitive from justice in Pennsylvania in connection to the stolen white Hyundai he arrived in.
Sullivan was charged by the Westover Police Department with Grand Larceny, Transferring Stolen Goods and Fugitive From Justice. He was arraigned and issued a $20,000 bond.
The release states, “The Westover Police Department extends special thanks to the Granville Police Department, the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department and the West Virginia State Police, all of whom were instrumental in the swift apprehension of Sullivan, which all occurred within 30 minutes of the 911 call.”
