Wilmington man charged with filing false report of stolen truck after driving it into bean field

Wilmington — A man faces a felony charge after he was accused of falsely reporting his truck stolen after he had deliberately driven the vehicle into a bean field in Wilmington, police said.

Alexander Fullriede, 28, of Wilmington, has been charged with felony disorderly conduct of the false report and misdemeanor criminal damage to the bean field.

On July 11, officers responded to Fullriede’s report that his red 1997 Ford pickup truck had been stolen from in front of his residence in the 100 block of First Street, according to Wilmington Police Chief Joseph Mitchell.

Fullriede told officers that he parked his truck in front of his residence and left the keys in the unlocked vehicle, Mitchell said.

Fullriede called his friends to see if they took the truck as a prank, Mitchell said. Officers contacted his friends and they denied taking the vehicle, he said.

About 10:40 a.m. on Monday, a farmer discovered Fullriede’s truck abandoned in a bean field near the intersection of Davy and First Street, Mitchell said.

A follow-up investigation revealed Fullreide had deliberately driven off into the bean field in the early morning hours of either Sunday or Monday, got his vehicle stuck in the mud and then reported his vehicle stolen to cover his conduct, Mitchell said.

Mitchell said that having to investigate reported crimes that are proven untrue diverts the limited resources of the department.

He said his department will vigorously arrest those who falsely report crimes.