Case advances against Lincoln man in thefts of pickup and Wisconsin church van

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A 58-year-old Lincoln man will be tried in two vehicle thefts.

Joe Dorsey waived his preliminary hearing Wednesday, and a judge sent his case to district court.

Dorsey is charged with two counts of felony theft by unlawful taking.

SEE ALSO: Lincoln man arrested in auto thefts after being found asleep in stolen van, deputy says

Court documents say Dorsey went to Cars 4 Less near 48th and Adams streets on June 22 and got the key to a Ford F-150.

After looking at the pickup, police said he returned the key.

But an arrest affidavit says Dorsey came back to the dealership after hours and stole the pickup.

It had a tracker on it, and investigators learned that it was in Wisconsin.

Police in Milwaukee found the pickup abandoned on June 24.

Dorsey was in the wind, authorities said, but he turned back up in the Lincoln area on July 23.

That night, a Lancaster County deputy saw a van parked at Pawnee Lake without a state park permit.

Dorsey was asleep in the driver’s seat, according to an arrest affidavit.

The van had been reported stolen from a church in Milwaukee on June 26, court documents say.

A woman who was with Dorsey told the deputy that they had been living in the van for three weeks.

Dorsey’s arraignment in Lancaster County District Court is scheduled for April 30.