Pennington County (trfnews.i234.me) – Rayne Austin Villa, a 24-year-old man from Merrifield, was sentenced on Monday, April 28, in Pennington County District Court for stealing a vehicle in Thief River Falls. Villa received a 17-month prison sentence and was ordered to provide a DNA sample. He was also directed to pay $210 in fees and fines, along with restitution from two other court files. The right to restitution has been reserved in this case.
The charges stemmed from a January 28 incident involving the theft of a 2015 Ford F-150 in the 900 block of Falls Avenue. According to the complaint, a woman had borrowed the truck on January 27 and allowed Villa to drive because she had been drinking alcohol. After stopping at 921 Falls Avenue, the woman and another man went inside for a cigarette, leaving Villa in the truck. When the woman returned to invite Villa inside, she discovered both he and the truck were gone. Her purse and cell phone were inside the vehicle. Later that night, her purse was found in a flowerpot outside her door, and her debit card was discovered in the snow nearby.
Pennington County Chief Deputy Scott Mekash located the pickup truck around 8:18 p.m. on January 28, parked in the 600 block of Kinney Avenue North. Law enforcement monitored the vehicle, but no one returned to it, leading to its towing on January 29. The owner reported that a yellow toolbox containing a tow strap and tools was missing from the truck.
Did you know?
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Rayne Austin Villa, 24, is a resident of Merrifield, Minnesota.
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The stolen vehicle was a 2015 Ford F-150.
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The theft occurred on January 28 in Thief River Falls.
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Villa was sentenced to 17 months in prison on April 28.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.