Suspected 'Bentley Bandit' Nabbed

A man police say went on a multi-state crime spree that included alleged criminal acts in Mount Pleasant was arrested Friday after crashing a stolen high-dollar luxury car in southern Louisiana.

Justin William Durbin, 22, of Altus, Okla., faces warrants in seven jurisdictions, including Mount Pleasant, for charges ranging from probation violation, grand theft auto, larceny, burglary and fraud, according to a U.S. Marshals Service news release.

It wasn’t immediately clear what Durbin is accused of in Mount Pleasant, but law enforcement dubbed him the “Bentley Bandit” for his repeated thefts of luxury cars straight off car dealer lots. His South Carolina warrant dates to just April of this year, according to the Marshals Service, but Mount Pleasant police late Monday evening said they could not confirm the charges in his local warrants.

Durbin had a familiar pattern, according to police. He is accused of pulling onto multiple car lots in a stolen luxury car and then asking to take a test drive in another, oftentimes more expensive, car on the lot. Dealers trusted the young man, who had a preppy look and was already driving a nice car, so they allowed him to pull away in high-dollar luxury sedans.

On Friday, police caught up to Durbin after he allegedly stole a 2007 Bentley GT Continental in southern Florida. The dealership alerted Louisiana authorities that the car was in their jurisdiction. After tracking down the suspect, Durbin fled and took police on a high-speed chase, according to a Louisiana State Police news release.

Police say he wrecked the $97,000 Bentley and then reportedly gave himself up, the news release states.

Durbin, in addition to all the charges faced across nearly seven states, now faces new charges related to the Bentley theft and for running from authorities, the news release states. 

In addition to Mount Pleasant warrants, Durbin was also wanted in Baton Rouge, La., Prince Georges County, Md., Virginia Beach, Va., Escambia County, Fla., Hamilton County, Ind. And Pima County, Ariz., according to the Marshals Service.