By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

James Douglas Cable

WARSAW — A man was recently arrested after taking a person’s vehicle for a test drive and never returning it.

James Douglas Cable, 48, 3038 W. CR 850S, Bunker Hill, is charged with auto theft and theft with a prior conviction, both level 6 felonies; and being a habitual offender.

On March 23, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s officer responded to an auto theft report. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with a man who said he had a red 2006 Honda Civic with expired registration for sale in his front yard for $2,800. A man, later identified as Cable, approached him to test drive the vehicle; the man allowed Cable to test drive the Honda Civic. According to court documents, the man did not get identification from Cable before the test drive and Cable never returned with the vehicle.

The vehicle was later recovered on March 24 by the Southern Illinois University Police Department. An SIU officer said the vehicle was identified as stolen and was then abandoned by the driver before officers could make contact to identify the driver. Officers were later able to determine Cable was a suspect due to items in the vehicle and security camera video from an area restaurant.

Warsaw Police prepared an eight-person photo lineup. The man whose vehicle was stolen identified Cable as the person who took the Honda for a test drive.

Cable has several prior felony convictions, including four theft cases and a failure to register as a sex offender with a prior conviction case, all from Kosciusko County.

He was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on May 18.