Madison Man Arrested For Theft Of State Police Vehicle

Investigators later found that Wiefling had been released from the custody of the Jefferson County Jail earlier that morning.

Vincent L. Wiefling. Photo Provided.

(Jefferson Co., Ind.) - A Madison man was arrested after stealing an Indiana State Police vehicle from a trooper's home in Jefferson County.

On Friday, April 24, around 10:30 a.m., a trooper reported that a truck belonging to the Indiana State Police was stolen from his home on State Road 62.

The trooper was working on equipment in the vehicle used by a state police specialty team when Vincent L. Wiefling approached the residence and entered the vehicle without being noticed by the trooper.

Wiefling then drove the truck away from the scene northbound on State Road 62.

Two witnesses followed Wiefling in the truck until law enforcement responded.

Less than two miles from the theft, Wiefling crashed the vehicle in a ditch where he then fled from the vehicle on foot. 

Numerous law enforcement agencies responded to the scene, and Wiefling was located hiding in a nearby wooded area. 

Wiefling was taken into custody and transported to the Jefferson County Jail and charged with Auto Theft, Resisting Law Enforcement, Criminal Trespass, Operating While Intoxicated, Unlawful Entry of a Motor Vehicle, and Leaving the Scene of an Accident.

Investigators later found that Wiefling had been released from the custody of the Jefferson County Jail earlier that morning.