Wyoming Man Arrested After Alleged Wild One-Day Crime Spree
Police in Rock Springs say they arrested a 41-year-old Green River man Monday after he allegedly stole several cars, crashed a car into parked vehicles, drove another car into a utility pole, assaulted someone, broke into some other vehicles, and stole a cell phone, all in one day.
That's according to a post on the Rock Springs Police Department Facebook page.
According to the post, the string of crimes began at 9 a.m. on March 22 when a man later identified as Steven Rice was driving a vehicle in a parking lot at 925 Gateway Boulevard when he jumped out of the driver's seat of his vehicle and let his car run into two parked cars. Rice then allegedly ran away on foot.
Soon after, two other vehicles were found undamaged but with the doors left open on Skyline drive. Officers were next sent to 9th street on a report of a man who was stealing a car when the owner of the vehicle saw him, jumped inside the car, and pulled the emergency brake.
Rice allegedly hit the owner in the head with the car door as he drove away with the stolen vehicle. Rice then abandoned the car after driving it into a pole.
As police were investigating that crime scene, they found a white Toyota that had been abandoned by Rice in a nearby parking lot. That car was found to have been stolen from 222 Gateway. Police say Rice then went to a Kum and Go at 1540 9th street where he stole a Kia that had been left running.
The victim's cell phone was left in the vehicle, and police were able to track it to an area north of town. Police eventually found the Kia abandoned, but found that Rice had taken the cell phone and several items left in the car. Finally, at 11:17 p.m., police, with help from the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office, found Rice hiding in a Bronco in the parking lot at Morcon Specialty.
He was then arrested without incident and taken into custody. According to the post ''Steven Rice was charged with felony Property Destruction and five misdemeanors including Battery, Theft < $1000, Criminal Entry, and three counts of Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle.''
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