A 31-year-old man accused of stealing a car was arrested by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office after a K-9 tracked him through the woods.

On Saturday, October 12, at around 3:20 p.m., an MCSO deputy responded to a residence on NE 244th Street in Salt Springs in reference to a stolen vehicle. A man had advised that one of his relatives had left a Nissan Sentra at his home so he could “conduct maintenance” on the vehicle, according to the arrest report.

At around 2:30 p.m. that afternoon, a friend/witness drove past the man’s residence and noticed that the car was missing. The report stated that when the owner of the car was contacted, she advised that she did not have the vehicle.

The owner/victim told law enforcement that she did not have any valuables stored in the vehicle at the time of the theft. The value of the car was estimated at $3,000, according to the report.

The deputy noted that the victim’s car had been left unlocked at her relative’s home, and the keys had been left inside. The car was last seen parked outside the home on Friday, October 11, during the nighttime hours.

While investigating the theft incident, the sheriff’s office learned that a man, identified in the report as David Graham Owen, of Williston, was “telling people that he was on the run from the police” due to a “stolen vehicle case.”

On Monday, October 14, several MCSO deputies spotted the stolen vehicle near the intersection of E Highway 316 and NE 150th Street in Fort McCoy. The vehicle pulled over on the north side of Highway 316, and a man – later identified as Owen – allegedly exited the vehicle and ran into the nearby woods, according to the report.

An MCSO deputy with a K-9 partner soon arrived on scene. The report stated that the K-9 managed to successfully track Owen, and he was apprehended near the 21400 block of NE 150th Street.

After being read his Miranda rights, Owen allegedly admitted to stealing the victim’s car, claiming that another individual had informed him that the keys were “left in the vehicle.” He confirmed that the theft occurred on the night of October 11.

Owen was arrested and taken to a local hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. Once medically cleared, he was transported to Marion County Jail, where he is currently being held on a $4,000 bond. He is facing the following charges: grand theft of a motor vehicle, resisting a law enforcement officer without violence, and driving with a suspended or revoked license.

A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.