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Suspect returns stolen van after finding body

RIVERSIDE, Calif.

A man was arrested after police say he stole a van from a Southern California mortuary with a body inside, returned it and then stole a different van from the same business.

Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback says a mortuary employee was nearly run over as he tried to stop the man as he drove away the second time Sunday.

Railsback says an officer investigating the theft of the first van chased the second van for more than two miles. The suspect was arrested and could face charges including vehicle theft. Police didn’t immediately release his name.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise newspaper reports Monday that stealing a body isn’t included in his list of charges because police believe he didn’t mean to steal it.

Man convicted of stealing $500K in cigarettes

NEW HAVEN, Conn.

A New Jersey man has been convicted in federal court of breaking into a Connecticut warehouse and stealing more than 8,000 cartons of cigarettes worth about $500,000.

Andrew Oreckinto, of Matawan N.J., was convicted on Monday of theft from an interstate shipment. He faces up to a decade in prison.

Prosecutors say surveillance cameras recorded the 52-year-old Oreckinto breaking into New Britain Candy in Wethersfield, Conn., in March 2011. A glue-like substance was used to disable door locks. Wires to an outside surveillance camera and a phone line were also cut.

Authorities linked Oreckinto to the theft by analyzing his call history.

Pa. Man caught driving 22 times without license loses his state appeal

ERIE, Pa.

A state court panel says a Pennsylvania man caught driving without a license 22 times got the punishment he deserved.

Randy Stallsmith had claimed that his 3-to 6-month prison term was excessive for driving offense No. 22 in 2015. He pleaded guilty to driving without a license.

Pennlive.com reports a state Superior Court panel upheld the sentence, saying the 49-year-old Erie County man’s past behavior sank his appeal.

Stallsmith appealed to the Superior Court because a county judge wouldn’t allow him to serve his time on work release.

Associated Press