Bloomington man James Collins, 47, was arrested on robbery charges Tuesday after attempting to steal the battery out of a man’s car Sunday.
A man was sleeping in the truck bed of his white Ford F-150 early Sunday morning when he told officers he awoke to someone banging on his truck, which was parked in the 3200 block of East Third Street. He noticed a black Ford Ranger parked next to his truck with a woman sitting in the passenger seat.
He reported seeing a man in his early 30s under the hood of the truck, attempting to remove its battery. He told officers he tapped on the man’s shoulder and asked what he was doing.
The man trying to take the battery reportedly said he thought the truck was abandoned. The truck owner's dog then started barking and the other man pulled out a folding knife, the owener told police.
He reportedly did not display the knife's blade but argued with the man who owned the truck briefly before apologizing and leaving. Nothing was stolen.
Officers located Collins’ truck, the black Ford Ranger, at Americas Best Value Inn on North Walnut Street on Tuesday.
Collins and the woman who was sitting in the truck’s passenger seat Sunday were staying at the inn. Police said both were cooperative and confessed to the incident.
The woman does not face charges.
