Body of suspected car thief identified by family

CELINA - The body of a man recovered from Grand Lake off West Bank Road on Saturday morning has been identified as Alvin Lee Stabler, 47, of Hoover, Alabama, who most recently had been staying in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Stabler allegedly attempted to steal a pickup truck from Bud's Chrysler at 945 S. Main St. Christmas night before leading Celina Police Sgt. Kyle Balthis on a foot chase. Balthis was unable to catch up with Stabler, who was later seen on a security video intentionally jumping into the lake to evade capture, according to Police Chief Tom Wale.

Celina police detectives working over the weekend received tips that allowed them to positively identify the drowning victim and suspect in the attempted motor vehicle theft as Stabler, Wale announced Monday.

Stabler was identified through law enforcement resources and by his family members, including his girlfriend from Fort Wayne, Wale told The Daily Standard.

"She did come to the office as well," Wale said. "He had family from Alabama (who) drove up, and they all were debriefed and watched the video, looked at his pictures and confirmed that, 'Yes, that is him.'"

The police department is awaiting Stabler's autopsy results from the Montgomery County Coroner's Office. Wale said he's unsure how extensive the autopsy will be.

"That's going to be up to the coroner," he said. "They'll look for any injuries outside the body. With the video it's pretty apparent."

The police department on social media released video footage of the man they identified as Stabler lowering himself into the lake. The footage was reportedly taken from a nearby resident's security camera. It shows a man seemingly walking casually eastward across West Bank Road, maneuvering over the retaining wall onto the boardwalk, breaking into a sprint toward the lake and ducking into the water.

"I don't know if he thought the lake was frozen or not, but he deliberately went into the lake to avoid apprehension," Wale initially told the newspaper.

About 10 seconds later, Balthis enters the footage, running southward on the west side of West Bank Road while pointing a flashlight toward a series of residential dwellings.

"The houses right there are currently under extensive remodel/reconstruction, and so they're empty," Wale pointed out. "Sgt. Balthis, having lost sight of him (the suspect), really didn't think someone would jump in the lake in the wintertime."

Rather, Balthis, Wale noted, focused his attention on the first obvious place - the empty dwellings.

"One of them was actually unlocked, so he did search the house," he said.

Though Wale said his department doesn't normally release video footage amid a pending case, he decided to do so in this instance because of media requests and the fact that one of Stabler's family members reportedly recorded the video themselves while watching it.

"Considering he is likely to release that on social media himself, I wanted to release it in the proper context," Wale said.

Asked for additional details about Stabler, Wale said the Alabama man has an "extensive criminal history."

As to whether the police department has any leads on whether Stabler had been working with others in the alleged attempted motor vehicle theft, Wale said he couldn't speak to the matter at this point in the investigation.

"We'd like to identify any accomplices, then see if the investigation will lead to any other crimes we need to investigate," Wale told the newspaper.

Anyone with information about the incident or Stabler may call detective A.J. Poppe at 419-586-2345 or email him at a.poppe@celinaohiopd.gov.

Shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday, Celina police were dispatched to Bud's Chrysler in response to a reported car alarm. Upon arrival, Balthis observed an individual inside a pickup truck on the dealership lot, according to Wale.

As Balthis approached the vehicle, the individual fled on foot. Balthis then gave chase to the suspect, who was wearing a ski mask, Wale said.

The suspect reportedly ran east across U.S. Route 127 toward West Bank Road, passing the Community Medical Center and continuing through nearby residential properties. Balthis ultimately lost sight of the suspect. Authorities then launched a search in the area.

The suspect was not located, but further investigation revealed that he had attempted to steal the pickup truck from Bud's Chrysler, according to Wale, who declined to elaborate on what led officers to that conclusion.

Wale described the pickup truck as a used, gray Dodge model.

"One of the officers told me it had some desirable features on it, but I don't know what those were," he said.

At 4:45 p.m. Friday, critical evidence emerged when a resident in the search area reviewed personal security footage after noticing prior police activity. The footage reportedly showed the same individual who had fled from police the night before.

While reviewing the video, police officers observed the suspect ducking behind a retaining wall to hide from police, and a short time later, lowering himself into the lake, Wale confirmed. The suspect was not seen exiting the water.

Another search was conducted that evening, but darkness hampered visibility, making it difficult to determine whether anyone remained in the water, Wale said, noting that officers continued to monitor and patrol the area.

The search resumed Saturday morning, with the Celina Fire Department and its dive team coming out to assist police officers, Wale said. Shortly after 9 a.m., the body of the suspect was reportedly recovered, with the use of a pole. No identification was found on the body.

Additionally, Wale said burglary tools were recovered, including a device believed to be used to reprogram a vehicle's security and ignition system.