Man charged with stealing his own car

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - Question: Can someone be arrested for stealing his own property?

Follow-up question: Can someone be arrested for stealing his own property after someone else had taken it first?

Well, according to an arrest warrant affidavit released Tuesday by the Williamson County Sheriff's Office, the answers are "yes" and "yes."

The question-and-answer session stems from an incident on Oct. 10 that started when the owner of a Downtown Austin fast-food hamburger place called a wreck company to have a 2010 Jeep Laredo towed from his lot.

According to the affidavit, the Jeep's owner, 30-year-old Grant Curtis Martin, later phoned the tow truck operator from the impound lot to say that he had no intention of paying the towing fees and any associated costs. The operator called the sheriff's office, telling the calltaker that the car owner had threatened to beat him up.

A sheriff's deputy and the truck operator went to the impound lot where they found the gate open and the lock broken. The Jeep was gone.

The affidavit said that Martin then called the truck operator and let him know that he had taken back his vehicle.

The deputy connected the caller's phone number to an Austin address. An Austin police officer was sent to the address and saw the Jeep with a license plate number matching the one that was towed.

Grant was charged with auto theft and bail was set at $15,000. He was not in custody on as of Tuesday afternoon.