HUTCHINSON -A Kansas woman made a first appearance in court on Thursday on four charges after an incident involving the alleged theft of a vehicle owned by the city of Hutchinson.

Tawny Lochmann, 28, faces potential charges of felony theft, burglary, criminal trespass and criminal damage.

Authorities say she was driving south of Hutchinson, in the 3900 block of South Halstead Street, on Wednesday night and somehow ended up in a field and her vehicle became stuck.

She was unable to get any cell phone reception, so she began walking toward the city of Hutchinson sewage treatment plant.

The gates to the facility were locked, but she managed to find a space where she could squeeze through. She walked building to building, but couldn’t find anyone. She was able to get inside a garage and found a city truck with the keys left inside.

She drove the truck from the garage and rammed a gate, breaking the padlock and drove toward where her vehicle was stuck.

She couldn’t figure out how to get the truck into four-wheel drive and got the truck stuck as well.

The Sheriff’s Office was called and she was arrested and taken to the Reno County Correctional Facility.

In court, she asked for a bond reduction and Magistrate Judge Cheryl Allen granted that. It was reduced from $7,000 to $1,500.
Lochmann has a drug conviction for the manufacture of methamphetamine and also being in possession of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine for a case from 2008, and is required to register as a drug offender.

She is scheduled to return to court next week.