Special to the Enquirer 

At around 1:30 a.m. April 21, Morgan County deputy sheriffs responded to a stolen vehicle call on Halbrooks Road near Hartselle – and a short investigation led to an arrest in the case. 

Shortly after deputies made the report, Hartselle Police Officers found the car stuck in a grassy area near Peck-Glasgow Insurance Agency on Highway 31 in Hartselle. Deputies and Hartselle police officers located footprints leading from the vehicle to a wooded area and followed them. 

Caleb Reed Johnson, 24, of Hartselle, was found in the wooded area and was detained by deputies. Investigators with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division arrived on the scene and said they were able to determine Johnson had stolen the vehicle from Halbrooks Road. 

According to the report, Johnson was driving the car through Hartselle when he saw a Hartselle police vehicle. While the police officer was not attempting to stop Johnson, Johnson mistakenly believed the officer in the patrol vehicle was trying to locate him; therefore, investigators said, Johnson attempted to make a U-turn, which resulted in the car being stuck in the wet grass. 

Investigators arrested Johnson for theft of property in the first degree, a class B felony. Johnson was booked into the Morgan County Jail on a $5,000 bond.