A Village of Oak Creek man was arrested after allegedly starting several small wildfires near a vacant home and then stealing a van from a convenience store on Monday, Jan. 6, according to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO).
Around 6:45 a.m., an employee at a convenience store in the 6000 block of Highway 179 in the Village of Oak Creek called YCSO to report his 2004 maroon min-van had been stolen.
The victim told deputies he had left the van running unattended to warm up while he was wrapping up his shift.
After about 15 minutes, the employee went outside and the van was gone. Deputies patrolled the immediate area with no luck. Using security video, the van was last seen heading north on Highway 179 from the store.
Just before 8 a.m., a YCSO deputy spotted the stolen van being driven through the parking lot of the Hillside Sedona Shopping Center in the 600 block of Highway 179.