A truck that was stolen from Orion Township was recovered on Sept. 19, a few hours after it had been taken from a home on Hopefield.
Orion Township resident Ryan Payne, 30, was arraigned on Sept. 21 with unlawful driving away of an automobile late last week, a felony that carries a maximum of five years, according to Oakland County Sheriff’s Department Detective Gerry Schroeder.
An OCSD report said a township employee was in the process of doing a final inspection on a Hopefield home, when Payne allegedly took the truck.
The employee was in the back of the home and had left the vehicle running. He was away from the truck for less than three minutes.
He identified a man, Payne, in a yellow sweat shirt, as the only individual he saw at the scene.
A neighbor witnessed a man in a yellow sweat shirt drive the township truck shortly after it was reported missing.
Shortly after the truck had been taken, the employee and another Hopefield resident witnessed Payne drive by in a silver Ford Thunderbird.
With the help of that resident, deputies learned that Payne lived down the street from the address from which the truck was stolen.
Deputies went to Payne’s address, where he was arrested. His yellow sweat shirt was held for evidence.
The truck was recovered at the Catalina Lounge on Baldwin Road, where the neighbor said Payne spends a lot of time.
Schroeder noted that Payne had been cited earlier that morning at the Catalina Lounge for disorderly conduct.
He was involved an an altercation with another man outside the bar, which resulted in damage to a parked vehicle.
Payne is awaiting his court date after posting 10 percent of a $25,000 bond.