He stole a car, but he didn’t get far

A 24-year-old who’d planned to sell his car to someone on Craigslist trusted the guy he met Tuesday afternoon at Wells Fargo Bank in downtown Macon.

After all, he had seen the guy once before, working at Arby’s on Gray Highway, according to a Bibb County sheriff deputy’s report.

His name was Brian, or so he said.

After withdrawing $3,500 cash to buy the 2010 silver Chevrolet Equinox, Brian, later identified as 22-year-old Dironte Antonie Stanley, asked to see the man’s keys.

Stanley then “snatched the keys” from the man’s hands and ran out of the Mulberry Street bank, the report said. The man chased after him, but saw Stanley driving away in the Chevrolet.

The man tried calling Stanley, but there was no answer.

A deputy asked the man if the Chevrolet had OnStar, a subscription-based security service for cars that also gives turn-by-turn directions to the driver. He did.

In a matter of minutes, an Onstar representative gave the deputy the exact location of the car. It was parked a quarter-mile from the bank beside a building at Walnut and Sixth streets.

When deputies drove to it, they spotted Stanley walking across the street. He ran into a wooded area upon seeing the deputies behind him, the report said.

Another deputy stopped and detained Stanley when he came out on the other side, running toward Riverside Drive.

The Craigslist seller identified Stanley as the man who stole his car, the report said. Stanley was booked in the Bibb County jail and charged with auto theft.

Stanley remained in jail Thursday on a $3,490 bond, records show.

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 6:49 PM with the headline "He stole a car, but he didn’t get far."