A man who took a test drive and just kept driving faces grand theft auto charges.The test driver, Robert Lee Wilkes, 54, of Palatka, Fla., has been indicted on the charge of theft over $10,000.Police say Wilkes went to The Truck Lot on South Chancery Street and asked to test drive a 2000 model Ford F-450. The truck was valued at $10,000.“He said he would test drive it for about an hour and a half and return with the money to buy the vehicle,” said McMinnville police detective Barry Powers in his grand theft warrant against the Florida man.The salesman put a dealer tag on the truck and allowed Wilkes to leave on a test drive. Wilkes never returned.However, unknown to the test driver, The Truck Lot had a GPS tracker installed on the pickup.“He was able to track the truck to Jones County, Mississippi,” Powers said.The Jones County Sheriff’s Department found the truck after being notified of its whereabouts.
Man takes test drive, keeps driving