By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
ELLIS – A vehicle reported stolen from a residence in Ellis on Tuesday has been recovered, and the suspect has been caught after being identified while walking near a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper in Logan County.
The suspect, Cruz Morrell, was found to be wanted on a nationwide search warrant from South Dakota, according to Ellis Police Chief Taft Yates.
Somewhere between 11:30 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday, a 2001 Buick was stolen from a driveway in a neighborhood on the south side of Ellis, Yates said. The vehicle was unlocked with the keys inside the center console.
“How this vehicle was chosen, I have no idea,” Yates said. Where Morrell was located prior to the theft and what his intentions were are also unknown at this time.
After taking the vehicle, Morrell drove west on U.S. 40 out of Ellis, stopping at a Winona gas station where he allegedly stole fuel.
He then turned around and headed back east on U.S. 40, ultimately ending up getting the car stuck on a county road, Yates said.
Morrell then abandoned the vehicle and began walking in Logan County.
While walking, he passed near a state trooper who recognized him from footage from the gas station and was arrested, Yates said.
The Ellis Police Department was following the reports from Logan County after a partial match had been made on the license plate number from the vehicle at the gas station.
Once a positive identification was made, Yates took custody of Morrell from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office.
“We later found through interview and investigation … he had a nationwide warrant out of South Dakota,” Yates said.
The warrant has been served, and Morrell is currently in the Ellis County jail on felony vehicle theft charges. Yates said he will be extradited, but he did not know when that may occur.
Morrell is listed as an absconder from parole on the South Dakota Department of Corrections website.
In August 2016, he was sentenced to four years and three3 months for fourth-offense driving under the influence. In October 2017, he was also convicted of receiving and/or transporting a stolen vehicle.
Two years of his sentence was suspended, and Morrell was released on parole in April of last year. His suspended sentence release date was scheduled for Aug. 17.