Hawarden, Iowa — A Hawarden man has been arrested on a warrant for theft and criminal mischief charges.
According to a criminal complaint filed with the Sioux County Clerk of Court’s Office by the Hawarden Police Department, 24-year-old Eric Topete of Hawarden is accused of stealing three vehicles and damaging a gas pump earlier this year. He was arrested on Thursday, August 10th.
In his statement, the officer states that in June or early July of this year, three vehicles were taken from Carr’s Auto parking lot in Hawarden. The officer says the keys had been left in them. He says two of the three vehicles were found in Sioux City, but a Chevy pickup is still missing. He says Carr’s Auto determined that Topete was involved in the theft. He says video surveillance implicates Topete, as does the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office. They said that Topete was identified as he was walking away from a maroon Pontiac Grand Prix that was disabled along a roadway. The officer says the total value of the vehicles amounted to about $21,500.
In another incident, the Hawarden police say that Topete damaged a gas pump at Super Stop in Ireton when he attempted to leave without paying for gas. The damage was estimated at $3785.
Topete was charged with first degree theft, a class C felony, and second degree criminal mischief, a class D felony. If convicted of both counts and ordered to serve his time consecutively, Topete could face up to fifteen years in prison.
Topete faces a preliminary hearing on the charges on Tuesday, August 15th.
At last report, Topete remained in the Sioux County Jail in Orange City in lieu of a $7,000 personal recognizance bond.
