Man Steals Van, Cell Phone; Sends Girlfriend Selfies; Is Arrested

ALOHA, OR — Washington County deputies on Monday arrested Eric James Fleury after discovering his selfies on a stolen cell phone that had come from a stolen Frontier Communications van.

Fleury, 34, was taken to the Washington County Jail on charges of unlawful use of a vehicle, theft, abuse of a memorial to the dead, and possession of heroin — the three latter charges were ultimately dropped. On Tuesday, Fleury pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a vehicle and was sentenced to 18 months of probation. His restitution hearing is scheduled for Nov. 14.

According to sheriff's officials, Fleury stole the van from the area of Southwest 185th Avenue and Southwest Jay Street in the unincorporated Washington County community of Aloha shortly before 1:30 p.m. Sept. 11. Deputies found the van a few blocks away and learned a phone and tablet were missing.

Using GPS, deputies tracked the phone and eventually found it on the ground near Fleury — who'd used it to send selfies and Facebook messages to his girlfriend.

On the phone, deputies found photos of Fleury holding flowers that he'd taken from a nearby roadside memorial. Along with the photos, Fleury sent Facebook messages telling his girlfriend he'd stolen a van, was running from police, and that he was not going to jail.

Whether Fleury still has a girlfriend is unknown.

Photo Courtesy: Washington County Sheriff's Office