Resident faces theft, DWI charge

Published 12:56 pm Tuesday, December 29, 2009

A visibly drunk Austin man stole an idling truck Sunday, drove it into a snowbank, and then was chased down by the vehicle’s owner, according to a police report.

Manolo Vicente-Morales, 23, faces two counts of felony theft and a gross misdemeanor DWI charge. He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

The incident occurred in front of the El-Parral Ballroom on Fourth Street Northeast, site of the old Terp Ballroom. A 27-year-old man was loading his truck around 2 a.m. after a musical performance when he noticed a man driving away with his vehicle.

Email newsletter signup

The musician and a friend followed the truck until it crashed into a snowbank in the 800 block of Sixth Street Northeast, in the area near Packer Arena. Vicente-Morales allegedly got out off the truck and began to run off, but the 27-year-old owner chased him down. Police arrested Vicente-Morales, who had watery, bloodshot eyes and smelled strongly of alcohol.