Man Allegedly Steals 3 Cars To Get Home For Holidays

Joe Hornaday

Nicholas Lee Enerson planned to be home for Christmas, even if it meant allegedly stealing gas and three cars in the process.

A serious single vehicle accident on State Road 3 and County Road 300 S. early Sunday morning alerted local law enforcement and concluded with Enerson’s arrest a few hours later.

Enerson, 19 of 290 Mallard Lane, Madison, Wis., was arrested and booked at the Decatur County Jail on charges of motor vehicle theft with a prior, burglary, theft and resisting law enforcement with a motor vehicle. No bond was set.

The incident occurred just before 5:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Enerson’s vehicle, a maroon Dodge Caravan, was witnessed spinning around in the roadway and hitting objects by resident Brian Emery. According to a statement from Emery, he was the first person on the scene.

“He did some good damage to his vehicle and one of the car’s tires was found about 20 feet away from the wrecked van up on a hill in front of a house,” Emery said.

Emery then turned on his brights and hazard lights and pulled over at the scene. Upon closer inspection, Emery said he found no one inside the vehicle though he expected seriously injured occupants.

“The driver had to have gotten out within seconds after his van came to a complete stop, because it did not take me long to reach the accident scene. He must have rolled down his driver side window in order to escape his vehicle,” Emery explained.

Others arrived to help Emery block off the dangerous site. However, the back tail lights of Enerson’s van were so mangled from the collisions that two cars almost collided with the wreck, according to Emery.

“I started to search the area for foot prints and just found a few leading towards 300 South,” Emery explained. “I walked down the county road shining my flashlight and listening for any sounds, but there was no such luck.”

Deputy Kevin Rohr of the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department arrived shortly thereafter and began an investigation. After the deputy’s appearance, a neighbor told Rohr that a man had come to his home and asked to use the phone, stating that he had been in an accident and already had a warrant out for his arrest. He was identified as Enerson. Rohr went to look for the suspect but Enerson had already fled from the home on foot. A few hours later, he was located at another residence and arrested.

After the investigation, it was discovered that the Dodge Caravan had been stolen from a residence on County Road 240 Northwest in Greensburg. Enerson had reportedly left Wisconsin to visit his father in North Carolina, Deputy Rohr explained. When he left Wisconsin, it was in his first stolen vehicle of the weekend.

Cruising down I-74 in his initial stolen vehicle, Enerson allegedly stopped at the Speedway gas station on Main Street after his car ran out of gas at about 2 a.m. There, he reportedly stole fuel and dashed. The Greensburg Police Department pursued him but called off the chase when conditions made it too dangerous to follow.

After the gas theft, Enerson allegedly stole another car before winding up on County Road 240 Northwest. Finding the Dodge Caravan inside a garage with the keys still inside, Enerson reportedly took off and headed south on County Road 700 West before realizing he was going the wrong way. He turned around on State Road 3 and ended up at the County Road 300 South intersection where he lost control and crashed, resulting in his arrest.

The Greensburg Police Department, the DCSD and the Indiana State Police all played roles in the pursuit and arrest of Enerson.

Resisting law enforcement with a vehicle is a Class D Felony, and the charge of motor vehicle theft with a prior is a Class C Felony. Conviction on a Class C Felony Charge can result in up to eight years in jail and up to $10,000 in fines. Enerson was charged with burglary for entering the Greensburg residence and stealing the van, a Class C Felony, while the theft charge was a Class D Felony.

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