Car thief's untidy habits lead to arrest

McOOK, Nebraska -- A plea agreement was reached with a car thief that was tracked down by investigators who followed a trail of evidence that began with a sandwich wrapper left in the stolen vehicle.

The man, 27-year-old Merrill G. Johnston of McCook, accepted a plea agreement in Red Willow County District Court, April 30, that reduced a felony theft charge against him and also admitted guilt to a second misdemeanor charge of forgery.

Johnston was implicated in the case after McCook Police Department investigators recovered a stolen 1999 Ford Windstar in Atwood, Kansas. Sandwich wrappers of a Walmart store brand were found in the vehicle and investigators worked with Walmart staff to identify the exact transaction on which the items were sold together.

That information led to video footage of Johnston purchasing the sandwiches with a check that had been stolen in a burglary in Hitchcock County.

Johnston was also seen on the video leaving the store in a vehicle matching the description of the stolen Windstar.

Johnston originally was charged with a Class III felony of theft by unlawful taking more than $1,500 and a Class I Misdemeanor of second degree forgery. The plea agreement, offered by Red Willow County Attorney Paul Wood, reduced the theft charge to a Class IV felony of theft by unlawful taking and admitted guilt to both charges.

Sentencing for Johnston was scheduled for 11 a.m. on July 2, 2012, in Red Willow County District Court.