Man flees, lies after shoplifting

A shoplifter attempting to flee Walmart Tuesday evening ended with a partially submerged car and two people arrested in Creston.

According to Creston Police reports, at approximately 8:26 p.m. officers and medics were dispatched to Walmart for a vehicle in the retention pond. Reports indicated a male, later identified as Wiley J. Lewallen, 24, of Riverside, California, had been involved in a shoplifting incident in the store and had attempted to leave the property in a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt, traveling northeast through the parking lot at a high rate of speed.

The Cobalt struck a curb and went airborne until coming in contact with a chainlink fence and then went into the pond. Lewallen exited the vehicle and ran from the scene on foot. According to radio communication, approximately an hour after the accident, Lewallen was found at the end of South Division Street and transported to Greater Regional Health for medical treatment.

At the scene of the accident, officers were given conflicting identification information from family members, including his mother, Jennifer S. Donez, 48, of Cromwell, indicating Lewallen was a minor. They were unable to verify this information and went to the hospital to further investigate.

While at the hospital, Donez and Lewallen gave medical staff and law enforcement false dates of birth and names over the course of multiple hours and refused to provide other identification to assist officers. After further investigation, officers were able to correctly identify Lewallen, who when confronted with the information, admitted to his true identity.

At approximately 1:45 a.m. Donez and Lewallen were arrested at the hospital and charged with interference with official acts and providing false identification information and held on $600 cash or surety bond. The accident caused an estimated $1,000 in damage to the fence and $3,500 in damages to the Cobalt.

Additional charges against Lewallen are pending.