Washington man accused of truck theft

POST FALLS — A man with a history of convictions related to stolen vehicles is accused of stealing a truck.

Bradley S. Williamson, 24, of Newman Lake, Wash., is charged with grand theft and burglary, both felonies.

A man contacted police Oct. 5 to report that his vehicle, a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500, had been stolen from the side of the road.

He told police he went to a concert the evening of Oct. 3 and had so much to drink that rest of the night was a blur. When he returned to his truck around 1 a.m. on Oct. 4, he found that it was not where he’d parked it on the side of the road, according to court records.

Thinking it had been towed, the man reportedly called multiple tow companies but was unable to locate the vehicle.

Police located a truck matching the missing vehicle’s description parked on a dirt road west of N. Beck Road in Post Falls the evening of Oct. 5.

The truck’s doors were open and a man, identified as Williamson, was outside. He told police he had run out of gas.

After being detained in handcuffs, Williamson reportedly told police he had bought the truck from a man in the Stateline area about a week before, but could not provide proof of ownership or information about the seller. He also said his uncle knew he’d purchased the truck, according to court records.

Police contacted Williamson’s uncle, who allegedly said he had been told it belonged to Williamson’s girlfriend.

Williamson was arrested at the scene.

Court records said Williamson has three previous felony convictions: taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent in 2019, possession of a stolen vehicle in 2019 and second degree burglary in 2018. All three offenses occurred in California.

A judge ordered Tuesday that Williamson be held on $50,000 bail.