A 22-year-old Saint Paul man told police he was out of breath because he was trying to catch a bus, but officers found him sweating a few minutes’ walk from a running Chevrolet Trax that had just been driven onto a sidewalk and into another vehicle, according to the complaint.
The Trax’s owner called police shortly before 9 p.m. on Nov. 6. She had parked it downtown that afternoon, she said. She later realized she had left the key fob inside. She tracked the vehicle to an intersection, where an officer saw it leaving a parking lot and could see the driver.
The officer turned on his emergency lights and tried to block the way. Instead, the driver went onto the sidewalk, hit a motorized scooter and nearly hit several pedestrians, the complaint says. The driver then went through a stop sign, hit a vehicle that had the right of way and fled south. The officer lost sight of the Trax.
READ MORE → Ramsey County coverage
Police found the Trax a short time later, running but empty, about a quarter-mile south. It could not be driven. A man was found walking several minutes away, sweating heavily and out of breath with shrubbery in his clothing. He was identified as Marion Funches. The officer who saw the driver flee identified him as the driver. A K-9 officer tracked from the Trax to where Funches was found. His cell phone was in the bushes near the vehicle. Surveillance video showing the driver go onto the sidewalk was also recovered.
After being read his rights, Funches denied driving the Trax. He said he had been visiting an acquaintance at an intersection where, the complaint notes, there are no residential properties. The complaint says his explanation did not match where he was found. It also says his record includes at least nine felony convictions, several for motor vehicle theft.
Funches is charged in Ramsey County District Court in a complaint filed Nov. 9 with two felonies. Theft by taking or driving a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent carries up to five years in prison or a $10,000 fine or both. Fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle carries up to three years and one day or a $5,000 fine or both. The order of detention sets bail at $30,000.
