Woman found inside stolen vehicle charged with grand theft
Published at | Updated at
POCATELLO — A Pocatello woman allegedly found inside a stolen vehicle has been charged with grand theft.
Caresa AnnMarie Girse, 38, faces a felony charge, according to charging documents.
Officers from the Pocatello Police Department received a 911 call just before noon on Feb. 14, according to an affidavit of probable cause. The caller claimed that she left her vehicle running while visiting a convenience store.
The woman left the store and saw someone driving away in her car.
upon arrival, officers spoke with a store employee, who provided a surveillance video of the theft. From the video, officers were able to see what the alleged thief was wearing at the time of the incident.
The car was equipped with OnStar so officers contacted the service and were provided with a location of the vehicle. The OnStar operator also informed the officer that an engine lock had been activated.
About 30 minutes after the 911 call was placed, officers found the vehicle parked on the side of Teakwood Street. A woman, later identified as Girse, was inside the driver’s seat of the car, according to the affidavit. Asked to step out of the vehicle, Girse complied and was handcuffed.
When asked how she came to be driving the vehicle, Girse told officers that she did not know, according to court documents. After she told officers that she was parked in front of a friend’s home waiting for that friend to come outside, officers asked if the car belonged to her friend. Girse again said she did not know.
She was arrested and transported to Bannock County Jail, where she is being held on a $40,000 bond.
Officers returned the owner to her vehicle, but she informed officers that a cell phone and radar detector had been removed. The missing items carry a combined value of more than $1,500, the affidavit says.
Police reports do not specify whether the missing items were ever recovered.
Girse has pleaded guilty to several felonies since 2020, including a felony for the introduction of a major contraband into a correctional facility for which she was sentenced to probation and community service. In 2017, she was charged with a trio of felonies in Utah in connection to the theft of a Tremonton police cruiser, according to a story from KSL.com.
If she is found guilty of grand theft, Girse would face one to 14 years in prison, and $5,000 in fines. She is scheduled to appear in court before magistrate judge Aaron Thompson for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 23.