Man arrested on roof of Idaho pizza restaurant after allegedly stealing and crashing truck
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CALDWELL — Idaho State Police troopers arrested a Montana man on the roof of a Caldwell pizza restaurant Wednesday after he crashed the stolen pickup he was driving.
Justin Jay Ransford, 25, was arrested on charges of grand theft, eluding an officer, resisting and obstructing officers and leaving the scene of a crash.
ISP says the ordeal began when they received word from Oregon State Police that a man was driving a stolen pickup on eastbound Interstate 84 and he was about to enter Idaho.
An ISP trooper in Canyon County spotted the pickup around 10:15 a.m. and tried to stop the truck but Ransford kept going, according to a news release.
Another trooper deployed spike strips that disabled the vehicle just west of Caldwell. The pickup went down an embankment and crashed into a fence. Ransford is then accused of running from the crash scene toward a nearby pizza restaurant where he climbed on the roof.
The Caldwell Fire Department was called in with a ladder truck and they, along with Caldwell police officers and ISP troopers, were able to get to the roof and take Ransford into custody. He was booked into the Canyon County Jail.
ISP dispatchers and troopers spoke with the owner of the pickup who told them the personal items inside the truck and the truck itself are very meaningful to the family. They are happy it was found and will be returned.