Steven M. Hoch was arrested on June 16 by the Magnolia Police Department for the theft of a vehicle.
According to court records, a man and a woman contacted the Magnolia Police Department to report their 1999 Ford F250 stolen on May 31.
Records say when Sergeant Liz Colvin of the MPD came to the scene, the victims showed her surveillance footage from approximately 10:25 a.m. on May 30; the video showed a white male with dark hair in an orange shirt, carrying a backpack get into the vehicle and drive away, heading North on Vine Street.
According to the documents the victims said they had left the keys in the vehicle.
On June 1, Columbia County Deputies contacted MPD from a business near Blue Bloods Gym on Highway 79 saying that the vehicle had last been seen there. When an MPD officer arrived at the business, he found the insurance and registration info for the stolen vehicle on a trail leading to a shed behind the shop, records state.
According to court documents, the shop owner told police Hoch had been living in the shed until he was kicked out that morning.
MPD subsequently received a tip that Hoch was at a residence on Smith Street, but they were also unable to find him there.
However, officers did find found the stolen vehicle near the Smith Street residence.
The victims positively identified Hoch as the car thief from a photo police showed them, according to the court documents.
A warrant was issued for Hoch's arrest.
Hoch is currently being held at the Columbia County Detention Center on charges of theft of a vehicle worth more than $2,500. His bail is set at $50,000.
A hearing in the case is scheduled for July.