Police gave her a ride, then she may have stole one

Nicole Dyment (Police photo)

SANFORD, Maine - Sanford Police say a woman an officer brought to the stationhouse to warm up during Sunday's freezing temperatures later stole a car from a nearby Chinese restaurant.

The bizarre sequence of events began to unfold around 6:45 p.m. Saturday when Sanford Police Officer Andrew Simmons responded to the Green Tea Restaurant at 1005 Main St. for a reported stolen car. It was determined a patron had his vehicle stolen when he left it unlocked and running while he went inside to pick up an order.

Simmons reviewed the surveillance video and determined an unknown female had stolen the vehicle, however, another officer who had given a woman a ride to the police station to warm up a couple of hours earlier also watched the video and recognized the alleged thief as the same person he had given a ride to.

The suspect was identified as Nicole Dyment, Age 19, of Canton.

Dyment along with the stolen vehicle were located today at an apartment complex in Lewiston by members of the Lewiston Police Department who arrested her after a short investigation.

She was charged with theft by unauthorized taking, failure to give correct name/address and violation of conditional release.

The vehicle was returned to its rightful owner.

The Sanford Police Department took the opportunity to remind the public not to leave their vehicles running and unattended, and to lock their vehicles at all times.