By Alan Sorensen
A Havre man's attempt at auto theft went up in smoke last night -- literally.
A police officer patrolling Havre reportedly came upon a motorist with mechanical problems at the intersection of Fifth Street and Fifth Avenue at about 10:30 p.m. Thursday. The officer said he stopped to lend a hand and the driver fled on foot.
Three officers ended up chasing the man on foot and caught him in the 500 block of Sixth Avenue. It was then that the officers learned that the vehicle had been stolen a short time earlier from the 1200 block of Third Street.
Upon investigation, officers learned that the man had managed to burn out the vehicle's clutch in the few blocks he'd driven.
The 18-year-old man was jailed pending a felony theft charge by the county attorney.
