Pickup stolen while warming up at home

An east Columbus resident had his pickup stolen from his driveway while he waited for it to warm up over the weekend.

According to the Columbus Police Department, the incident happened at about 7:40 p.m. Saturday evening when a resident in the 200 block of Hege Avenue started his pickup to allow it to warm up. While he cleared snow from the vehicle, a passerby exchanged greetings with the resident. But when the resident went back to shoveling snow, the man jumped into the pickup and tried to drive off.

The getaway ended shortly afterwards when the driver put the truck into a nearby ditch, where it became stuck. The truck’s owner was able to open the door and restrain 24-year-old Robert Kanehl of Columbus until police arrived.

Kanehl was arrested on a preliminary felony charge of theft of a motor vehicle.

Police say that if you are warming your vehicle in this very cold weather, you should consider locking the doors with a spare set of keys, make sure someone is watching the vehicle at all times and be on the lookout for suspicious activity.