Reading Police To Charge Man Following Theft Of Utility Truck

A release from the Reading Police Department:

READING - The Reading Police Department will charge a local man after a National Grid Massachusetts Gas truck was reported stolen Wednesday afternoon according to Deputy Chief David Clark.

At around 4:30 p.m., Reading Police responded to a location on Pearl Street to take a report of a stolen vehicle.

Reading Police put word of the theft out to surrounding communities and to Boston and State Police. Less than one hour later, Boston Police located the vehicle and the suspect in the Allston neighborhood. The suspect was arrested and is currently in Boston Police custody. He will likely be arraigned on other charges in Boston on Thursday, and the Reading charges will be added at a later date.

Reading Police will charge the suspect, a 32-year-old Reading man, with Receiving a Stolen Motor Vehicle and Use of a Motor Vehicle Without Authority.

The suspect is being evaluated at a Boston hospital and will also undergo a mental health evaluation.

Deputy Clark praised the inter-agency cooperation that quickly delivered results in this case.

"I am genuinely pleased that police departments, communicating and working together, were able to locate this stolen vehicle within an hour and ensure that there was no danger to the public," Deputy Clark said. "I wish to express my gratitude to the officers and detectives in Reading and Boston who worked diligently in this investigation."

A criminal complaint is still pending, and due to that, Reading Police are not at liberty to release the suspect's name at this time.

This incident remains under investigation by Reading Police Detectives.

These are allegations. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.