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

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A Lincoln man is accused of a multistate string of auto thefts.

Joe Dorsey, 57, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of two counts of felony theft by unlawful taking.

On June 22, Dorsey went to Cars 4 Less near 48th and Adams streets and got the key for a Ford F-150, according to court documents.

After looking at the pickup truck, he gave the key back to the employee, police said.

But Dorsey came back after the dealership was closed, got in the pickup and drove off, an arrest affidavit says.

There was a tracker on the vehicle, and investigators with the Lincoln Police Department learned that it was in Wisconsin.

The Milwaukee Police Department found the pickup abandoned on June 24.

Dorsey then went undetected for a month, police said.

But on Tuesday night, a Lancaster County deputy saw a van without a state park permit at Pawnee Lake.

An arrest affidavit says Dorsey was asleep in the driver’s seat.

The deputy found out that the van was reported stolen from a church in Milwaukee on June 26.

A woman who was with Dorsey said they had been living in the van for about three weeks, according to court documents.

She told deputies they used to live in a van that Dorsey stole in Ohio.

A judge set Dorsey’s bond at $10,000. He must pay $1,000 to be released from jail.

Dorsey is due back in court Aug. 28.