Man charged with car theft

A man who stole a car in Oak Harbor was caught in King County on the same day last year.

A man who stole a car in Oak Harbor was caught in King County on the same day last year, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged 41-year-old Oak Harbor resident Alwyn J. Austria in Island County Superior Court Oct. 7 with theft of a motor vehicle.

On April 13, 2021, a woman at 7-Eleven on the north end of Oak Harbor reported to police that someone stole her 2007 Ford Fusion. She left the car running and was in the store for less than five minutes, but when she came out her car was gone, according to a police report on the case.

An employee at the store reported that a man purchased a hot dog, went outside and left in the woman’s car.

Later in the day, officers in Lake Forest Park responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle and discovered a stolen car parked near an intersection. Officers contacted Austria inside the car. Austria started the car when he saw the officers, but they held him at gunpoint, according to an officer’s report.

After arresting Austria, the officers saw that he had a ring on that was too small for his finger. His finger was so swollen that an ambulance was called, but paramedics were unable to get it off. Police took him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where the ring was cut off, according to the report.