Man faces county, Winona charges

A man who is accused of stealing a truck and hitting several vehicles around Preston was charged with felonies in Trempealeau County before being returned to Winona County where he is wanted for criminal damage to property.

Austin John Presson, 25, of 173 N. Baker St., Winona, is charged with stealing a truck worth $45,000 from a home on County Road J in the town of Arcadia, and then driving it in a way that prompted “numerous” calls to the county’s emergency dispatch, according to the criminal complaint.

Presson was charged with three felonies, recklessly endangering safety, theft of movable object worth between $10,000 and $100,000 and driving or operating a vehicle without consent. He also faces misdemeanor criminal damage to property and hit and run, according to court records.

Presson was returned to Winona County based on warrants for his arrest. His initial appearance in Trempealeau County Circuit Court has not yet been scheduled.

When finally stopped by deputies and state troopers, officers said Presson was “visibly upset, crying that someone was chasing him and trying to kill him,” court records say. Presson reportedly told officers he was being pursued because he and his mother stole $100,000 from someone who died a few years ago. He was initially taken to a hospital.

Among the complaints was one from a caller who said he was parked at the end of his driveway in Preston when the truck driven by Presson backed into his vehicle, pulled forward and backed into it a second time. Presson then reportedly drove away.

 

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