Woman in custody charged with theft

Staff report

CANFIELD

A Youngstown woman is in custody after a car theft from a local dealership.

Debra Kutsch, 46, of North Bonair Drive, is charged with felony theft.

She was arrested two days after she and a man, whose name hasn’t been released, test-drove a car from Fairway Ford, 366 W. Main St., and never returned the vehicle, according to a police report.

Kutsch was picked up Monday by Canfield police while driving on East Main Street. Police said she was driving the stolen vehicle.

Kutsch and a 47-year-old man were dropped off at the Canfield dealership Jan. 15 to test drive a 2011 Ford Focus, the report said. The pair told dealership employees they were going to drive the car to the man’s home to show his daughter.

The Fairway salesman told police when he noticed the car hadn’t been returned several hours later, he called the man’s phone, but it was disconnected. He then contacted Canfield police.

Felony-theft warrants were issued Jan. 15 for both people after several failed attempts at locating them. Canfield police continue to search for the second suspect.

Officers discovered that both have past records of theft offenses. The man’s drivers license also was suspended, and he has an active warrant in Pennsylvania with nationwide extradition attached.