BUCKHANNON – A Buckhannon man was arrested after allegedly attempting to drive away in a vehicle that wasn’t his.

Joseph Kelley, 27, was arrested for attempted grand larceny, a felony, in connection with an incident that occurred over the past weekend.

According to the criminal complaints in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by investigating officer Deputy Joseph Barcus with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department, on Sunday Feb. 16, at about 10:30 a.m., the Upshur County E911 Communication Center received a call about a male subject attempting to get inside of vehicles at Donald’s Auto Repair on Liggett Addition.

The caller stated that a male on a bicycle had gotten into a tan Ford Explorer in the parking lot and was attempting to drive away and spinning gravel everywhere. According to the report, when Deputy Tyler Gordon and Barcus arrived on scene, Kelley was allegedly in the process of getting out of the driver’s seat of a 2004 tan Ford Explorer. The registration indicated the vehicle was registered in the name of two other individuals.

Kelley was immediately detained and allegedly told police, “Frankie” gave him keys to the vehicle and told him that the vehicle was his, and that he could “borrow it to go to his mother’s.”

According to the report, officers subsequently contacted the owners of the vehicle, who said the vehicle was theirs — and that they had no family members by the name of Frankie. They also told police they hadn’t given Kelley the keys to the vehicle. The vehicle has an approximate value of $2,600. Kelley was then placed under arrest for attempted grand larceny.

Bail was set at $10,000.

If convicted, Kelley faces a penalty of confinement for not less than one and nor more than three years in the state penitentiary or confinement in jail for not less than six nor more than 12 months and a fine of up to $500.