By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

John Thomas Alford

WARSAW — A Warsaw man was recently arrested after allegedly stealing a moped and packages containing clothing.

John Thomas Alford, 59, 944 E. Garfield St., Warsaw, is charged with auto theft and theft with a prior conviction, both level 6 felonies; and theft, a class A misdemeanor. He is also charged with theft, a class A misdemeanor; and theft with a prior conviction, a level 6 felony, in a second case.

On Sept. 28, 2022, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy was on patrol in Warsaw when he noticed a black moped being operated on sidewalks and grassy areas of a nearby park. The deputy made contact with the moped’s driver, identified as Alford.

According to court documents, the deputy noticed the moped was painted black, with locations where it was clear the original color of the moped was white. The moped’s identification number was also covered by tape and a metal frame, obscuring the number from view. An identification number near the moped’s kickstand was also removed. Furthermore, the moped did not have keys and was “hot-wired” to start without one. This led the deputy to believe the moped was stolen.

Alford said he purchased the moped from a man on Sept. 19, 2022, for $300. He allegedly claimed to have a bill of sale for the moped but said he did not know where it was. He also could not provide a name for the man who sold him the moped. It was later determined the moped was reported stolen on Sept. 17, 2022.

The man who reported the theft said he last saw his moped parked near his residence on Sept. 16, 2022.

On Oct. 20, 2022, a Warsaw Police Department officer responded to a report involving the theft of packages. A woman said packages containing $115 worth of clothing were stolen from her residence. A witness told the woman he saw a man take a package off of her front porch.

Employees at a nearby local business said the man who stole the packages entered their store. The employees asked the man for identification, which identified him as Alford.

Alford told officers he did not steal or remove packages from anyone’s home.

Alford has a prior conviction for theft in Kosciusko County from March 2021.

Alford was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on Feb. 2, 2023, with a $10,500 surety and cash bond.