Thief River Falls Man Charged in Vehicle Theft

Thief River Falls (trfnews.i234.me) — A local man faces several charges after a vehicle was taken near the city dam.

The reported incident happened at about 3:48 p.m. on July 25.

John Charles Isleman, 33, of Thief River Falls, was arrested after police investigated the report.

Isleman has been charged with felony theft of a motor vehicle. He also faces second-degree driving while impaired.

The DWI charge lists two or more aggravating factors. Isleman also faces fourth-degree criminal damage to property.

The charges are accusations. Isleman is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Vehicle Found Near Riverside Terrace

According to the criminal complaint, a vehicle was taken near the Thief River Falls dam.

The vehicle was reportedly pushed and later parked about half a block away. It was found near Riverside Terrace.

The owner realized the vehicle was missing and began looking for it.

The owner allegedly found Isleman trying to jump-start the vehicle with jumper cables.

The complaint said Isleman appeared to be acting strangely at the time.

The owner recovered the vehicle and later discovered damage to a door lock.

Police officers arrived and continued investigating the reported theft and property damage.

Isleman allegedly failed field sobriety tests during the investigation.

The complaint also reported eyelid tremors. Police said those movements can indicate possible controlled substance use.

Isleman was taken to the Law Enforcement Center for further processing.

Inside an interview room, Isleman allegedly had trouble remaining seated.

The complaint said he sometimes stood on chairs and attempted to interfere with a camera.

Police removed several chairs after directing Isleman to stop the behavior.

He later calmed down while authorities prepared a search warrant for a blood sample.

The warrant was approved and a blood draw was completed.

Information about Minnesota court cases is available through Minnesota Court Records Online.

I’m Adrian Cole reporting for TRF News.