A California man is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail after state police accused him of taking a vehicle from a relative in North Carolina and was found in Hempfield Thursday.
Lorenzo Watson, 39, of Oakland, Calif., is charged with receiving stolen property and drug possession.
Troopers were called to a Towne Square Drive home just before 11 a.m. for a reported disturbance. Police said they found Watson who appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance. Watson told authorities that his wife reported being held captive in the garage, but she was not found, according to court papers. Police said she was out of state at the time.
An Audi was parked nearby and police said they found pills in a plastic bag on the front seat.
Watson gave investigators a few stories about how he got the vehicle and his whereabouts, according to court papers. Police learned that the car was registered to a relative of Watson’s. He is accused of taking it after another relative used the car to check on him and left the keys out, according to court papers.
The two relatives tried to contact him for two days before Watson was found in Hempfield. Police seized items from the car, but did not say what they were in court papers.
Police said a GPS unit in the car was set to a California destination. Police in Fayetteville, N.C. are investigating the unauthorized use of a vehicle, according to troopers.
Watson did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A Jan. 12 preliminary hearing is set. He does not have a criminal history in Pennsylvania, according to online court records.
