09/25/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Juvenile Arrested Following Vehicle Theft Investigation
Pataskala, Ohio — September 25th, 2026
The Pataskala Division of Police, with assistance from the Licking County Sheriff's Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Pickerington Police, and Reynoldsburg Division Of Police apprehended a juvenile male early Friday morning following a vehicle theft and attempted vehicle thefts.
At approximately 12:54 a.m., Officer Grant was conducting routine neighborhood/area checks when he located an unoccupied vehicle in the roadway on Watkins Road. The vehicle was determined to have been recently stolen from Reynoldsburg.
Around 1:30 a.m., officers responded to a local car dealership after a masked individual was reported to be entering vehicles in the parking lot. The suspect fled on foot, and officers quickly surrounded the area with assistance from LCSO, OSHP, and Pickerington PD.
Officer Grant and his K9 partner, Reiko, tracked the suspect on foot while Sgt. Wiles, Sgt. Hayes, Officer Cooley, and other assisting officers maintained the search area. Drone units from LCSO and Pickerington PD kept eyes on the perimeter. The juvenile eventually felt the pressure of the closing perimeter and voluntarily surrendered to Sgt. Hayes and a Pickerington officer.
During the investigation, the juvenile admitted to stealing the initially located vehicle and driving it until it became disabled. He also admitted to walking down Broad Street before attempting to steal two vehicles from the victim car dealership.
Pataskala PD will be filing charges through the Licking County Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office. Reynoldsburg PD will be filing additional charges in Franklin County.
The Pataskala Division of Police would like to thank all the agencies and officers who assisted in the investigation.
Pataskala K-9 Unit
