YORKTOWN — The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office (YPSO) has released more information from regarding a vehicle that was stolen this past Saturday (Aug. 21) in Grafton.
On Saturday morning, a business located at the 5000 block of George Washington Memorial Highway reported to police that a vehicle was stolen.
According to a social media post from YPSO, approximately three hours later, deputies spotted the vehicle in the area near the Grafton Woods neighborhood. The deputies stopped the vehicle, but the driver took off on foot.
At around 5:15 p.m., YPSO K-9 units were observed by WYDaily staff in the Grafton Woods neighborhood. Shelley Ward, YPSO public information officer, reported that the unit was brought in to help locate the suspect.
After the K-9 unit was unsuccessful, a perimeter was established. A resident called in to say that they had someone in their backyard. There, deputies located the suspect and took him into custody.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Jorge Rivera, was transported to the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail (VPRJ).
According to VPRJ, Rivera has been charged with Grand Larceny: Auto Theft, Failure to Stop for Police: Attempt to Escape/Elude, and Driving Without a License.
The local business whose vehicle was stolen expressed its appreciation to YPSO in a message stating, “We would like to send a heartfelt thank you to your entire staff for finding one of our vehicles that was stolen. Your team ROCKS!”
In the social media post from YPSO, Sheriff Diggs and YPSO thanked alert citizens for their involvement in bringing this case (and many others) to a quick close. The post stated, “We rely on the assistance and involvement from our community to provide tips and information to make York County a safe place to live and work. Without a strong community partnership this would be a much more difficult task.”