11/04/12 Wister, OK – Stolen Vehicle Stop – Suspect Handcuffed Steals LeFlore Co. Deputy’s Patrol Car – Patrol Car Found Missing Keys, Gloves, And Handcuffs

A Wister man is behind bars after he allegedly stole a LeFlore County deputy’s patrol car.Gage Zachary Pilkington, 20, was arrested Sunday morning on Fair Hill Road near Highway 112 after a deputy had been dispatched to the area to check on a man passed out in a white Ford truck, according to court documents.

Deputy Joshua Cranfield ran the vehicle’s tags and found that it had been reported stolen in Poteau earlier that morning.

The deputy put him in handcuffs and placed him in the patrol car. But Pilkington managed to maneuver his handcuffs around in front of him, hop into the driver’s seat, and take off down the road in the deputy’s car, according to the sheriff’s office.

“I’m speechless on that one because I wouldn’t do that,” said Tialee Winks.

The car was later found abandoned at a house.

An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper later identified Pilkington as the suspect and he was arrested at a home on Knothole Road later that evening.

“Nothing surprises me anymore,” said Jack Cox, a LeFlore County resident.

Sheriff Bruce Curnutt told 5NEWS he did not have anyone available Monday to talk on camera about the incident.

The deputy says he was missing a set of keys, gloves, and handcuffs when they found the car. None of the firearms inside the car were taken, according to an affidavit.