Stolen city pickup resurfaces -- with new paint job

A white pickup owned by the City of Cedar Rapids was stolen three weeks ago. Police recovered it Thursday night, but it's a different color now.

An officer located the stolen pickup around 6:30 p.m. Thursday near the corner of 24th Street and Burch Avenue NW while investigating a report of a reckless driver. The Dodge Ram pickup had two different license plates on it, but neither belonged to the vehicle, police said. The vehicle identification number was used to determine it had been stolen.

The pickup, which belonged to the parks department, was stolen on July 13 while workers were trimming trees near Otis Road and 12th Avenue SE. Police said the keys were left in the pickup.

No one was around the pickup when police found it Thursday, so plain-clothed officers watched it to see if anyone returned. A white man eventually got into the pickup and started to drive away, and when police in an unmarked car turned on lights and sirens, the driver would not pull over, police said.

After just a few seconds, the driver jumped out of the moving pickup and a foot chase ensued. Officers caught the driver nearby. One officer had a minor injury to his hand during the incident.

Cole M. Offerman, 19, of 801 16th Ave. SW, was arrested and charged with second-degree theft and interference with official acts causing injury.

Police said the pickup stopped on its own and was not damaged, except that it was gray and not white anymore. Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said several cans of gray spray paint were found in the bed of the pickup. Investigators weren't sure if Offerman or someone else had tried to re-paint the pickup.

According to court records, Offerman pleaded guilty to third-degree theft earlier this year after an incident in June 2011. He received a deferred judgment and was placed on probation.

After his arrest Thursday night, Offerman was taken to the Linn County Jail. His bond was set at $10,000.