SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. — An Ohio man is accused of stealing a forklift and driving it on a South Carolina interstate, authorities said.
Devon Christopher Pawlus, 34, of Westfield, Ohio, was arrested Sunday and charged with public intoxication, grand larceny of more than $10,000, grand larceny and strong-armed robbery, according to Greenville County online booking records.
According to the Simpsonville Police Department, an officer responded to a Lowe’s store at 7:49 p.m. EDT on Saturday in connection with grand larceny in progress, WSPA-TV reported.
The man told police he had only borrowed the forklift because the keys were still in the ignition. https://t.co/h3kPwUaYPB
— WSPA 7NEWS (@WSPA7) August 24, 2022
Officers soon observed a forklift being driven in the wrong direction on Interstate 385, according to the television station.
The suspect was then observed driving the forklift on a city street in Simpsonville and police attempted to pull him over, WCSC-TV reported. However, the man refused to stop, according to the television station.
Pawlus was eventually stopped when an officer parked his vehicle in front of the forklift, WCSC reported.
According to an arrest affidavit, Pawlus was “very intoxicated” and did not believe he had stolen the vehicle, WSPA reported.
The Simpsonville Police Department said a drunk driver operating a stolen forklift led officers on a slow chase through Simpsonville on Saturday night.
— Jerry Chandler (@TheJJChandler) August 24, 2022
Amazingly, this is not a story out of Florida. https://t.co/t7mPA0nKHd
Pawlus told police that he had only borrowed the forklift because the keys were still in the ignition, the report stated.
Pawlus was booked into the Greenville County detention center and has since posted bail, online records show.
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