Walkerville man charged with vehicle theft following morning manhunt.

Himes

Walkerville man charged with vehicle theft following morning manhunt.

#MasonCountyCrime

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

LUDINGTON — Dustin Allen Himes, Jr. 25, of 4570 N. 176th Ave., Walkerville, was arrested early this morning, Oct. 11, by Mason County Sheriff’s Office deputies and charged with larceny form a vehicle and unlawfully driving away an automobile (UDAA). 

The UDAA of a 2006 GMC Envoy was reported about 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10. The vehicle owner witnessed her vehicle being stolen from the Lowe’s parking lot in the 4400 block of US 10, Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole said. The vehicle was recovered a short time later when it was found abandoned behind Walmart, 4854 W. US 10, about 1/4 mile west of Lowe’s. 

Deputies were able to acquire surveillance footage of Himes and, along with Michigan State Police troopers followed up on tips generated from social media and news posts that led to the 1800 block of South Pere Marquette Highway where MCSO K-9 Diego and its handler, Dep. Ken Baum, attempted to track the suspect. Cole said Diego worked a track on the suspect south from the 1800 block of South Pere Marquette Highway in which he allegedly crossed PM Highway several times before the track was lost in the area of PM Highway and the southbound US 31 onramp. 

Himes was apprehended a short time later, about 5:45 a.m., after a citizen reported seeing the man attempting to flag down passing cars in the area, Cole said. 

Himes has been arraigned in Mason County’s 79th District Court on felony charges of UDAA, punishable by up to five years imprisonment and larceny from a vehicle, punishable by up to five years imprisonment. He remains lodged in the Mason County Jail on a $10,000 cash/surety bond. 

In September, Himes was found guilty in Oceana County’s 78th District Court on charges of operating a vehicle with the presence of drugs and was sentenced to 93 days discretionary jail and $315 in fines and costs. The charges stemmed from a March 2019 arrest from Michigan State Police. 

He was arrested in April, 2019, by Hart Police Department on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. 

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