Wednesday, a Bellefontaine man has been sentenced to the maximum of 18 months in prison for stealing a vehicle earlier this year.
29-year-old Jakob Yule pleaded guilty on August 5 to theft of a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony.
The theft happened May 6 in a parking lot across from Community Health and Wellness on East Columbus Avenue.
The victim had driven a Chevy Express passenger van from Kentucky to Bellefontaine to transport Amish members attending a funeral.
He was asleep in the back of the van with the engine running when Yule opened the driver’s side door and got inside.
The victim woke up, and Yule told him to get out of the van.
The victim, concerned that Yule might discover a firearm stored under the driver’s seat, got out.
Yule then drove away in the van.
The victim ran to the Logan County Common Pleas Courthouse, where he saw a sheriff’s cruiser and reported the theft to bailiffs.
Bellefontaine Police officers were called and began tracking the victim’s cell phone, which was still inside the van.
Sheriff’s deputies later found the van abandoned at Cherokee Hills Golf Course.
The firearm remained under the driver’s seat, but the victim’s cell phone and keys were missing.
After the van was found, officers received a call from Yule’s mother, who lives near the golf course.
She told officers that Yule was in her barn on Township Road 101.
Officers went to the location and arrested Yule.
When questioned about the missing phone and keys, Yule refused to assist, telling his stepfather that since officers had found him, they could find the keys and phone.
The keys were never recovered, forcing the victim’s family to bring another set from Kentucky the following day.
Yule has prior convictions for stealing vehicles in 2021 and 2023.
