Two vehicles stolen from Anderson Bridges in Colfax
By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — Of the two vehicles stolen from Anderson Bridges in Colfax last week, one vehicle was recovered a short distance away and the other vehicle was recovered in Chippewa County.
Recovering the stolen Anderson Bridges vehicle from Chippewa County was not the end of the story, however.
The discovery of the Anderson Bridges 2004 GMC Sierra 2500 crew cab recovered in the Town of Lafayette ended up involving the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department and the Lake Hallie Police Department in the investigation of another stolen vehicle.
It all started late Sunday night, November 27, or early Monday morning, November 28.
According to Colfax Police Chief William Anderson, it appeared that a 2008 Volkswagen had initially been stolen from the north side of the Anderson Bridges building on Willow Street in Colfax.
“Due to mechanical issues, the 2008 Volkswagen had been driven less than a block before being abandoned,” Police Chief Anderson said.
Soon after that, the GMC Sierra crew cab was stolen from the west side of the Anderson Bridges building, he said.
The vehicle thefts in Colfax were not discovered until Monday morning when a homeowner in the Town of Lafayette in Chippewa County contacted Anderson Bridges and reported that an Anderson Bridges vehicle had been parked in the driveway and was blocking access, Police Chief Anderson said.
A tow truck company was contacted, and the GMC was removed and towed back to Anderson Bridges, he said.
The GMC did not appear to have suffered any damage, and the vehicle had possibly been abandoned because it had run out of gasoline, Police Chief Anderson said.
But the story does not end there.
The Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department issued a news release November 30 looking for information on a suspect.
According to the Chippewa County news release, the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department is investigating auto thefts, burglaries and other thefts reported on November 28 and November 29.
The news release notes that a vehicle stolen from Anderson Bridges in Colfax was recovered in the Town of Lafayette and that another vehicle had been stolen from a residence near where the Anderson Bridges vehicle had been found.
The Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department found the vehicle stolen in the Town of Lafayette near county Highway P and 10th Avenue in the Town of Hallie. The suspect was reported walking southbound on Highway P, headed into Eau Claire County, according to the news release.
As of press time, Police Chief Anderson, the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department and the Village of Lake Hallie Police Department still were investigating the auto thefts, thefts and burglaries, and no additional information was available.