The Edgefield County Sheriff’s Officer recovered a stolen vehicle Sunday afternoon, Aug. 16. According to an incident report detailing the matter, an ECSO deputy was stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of Sweetwater Road and Hwy 25 when a man approached the deputy’s vehicle. The man told the deputy that a white male had just stolen a black Crown Victoria with “big tires and wheels” from the Gregg’s Gas Plus located at the same intersection. Realizing he had just moments before passed a vehicle matching the stolen car’s description, the deputy returned to Murrah Road Ext., where he had last seen the vehicle. Near the 200 block of Murrah Road, the deputy spotted the vehicle in question and activated his lights and sirens in an effort to perform a traffic stop. However, instead of stopping, the Crown Victoria made what was described in the incident report as an abrupt right hand turn onto Copeland Circle. The vehicle continued on this street until coming to a residence at 342 Copeland Circle where it stopped. A white male then exited the Crown Victoria, and the incident report quotes the man as telling the deputy “the vehicle ran out of gas,” he “knew the owner,” and he was “returning the vehicle to the owner.” The man was secured by law enforcement.

Law enforcement from Aiken County arrived on the scene with the owner of the vehicle who identified the man in custody as being the one who took the Crown Victoria from the gas station without permission. Additionally, the victim denied knowing the suspect.

Twenty-five year old Joseph Guerrieri of Salley, SC, was arrested by the ECSO for possession of stolen property and failure to stop for blue lights. Additionally, since the incident location, Gregg’s Gas Plus, is in Aiken County, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office advised that they would be charging the Guerrieri with grand larceny. Guerrieri was taken the Edgefield County Detention Center without incident. The car was returned to the its owner.