A man arrested in February for vehicle theft and drug possession now faces almost two years in prison and a $27,000 fine.
On April 29, Douglas Arthur Lejk pleaded no contest to two felony charges of receiving stolen property and vehicle theft and two misdemeanors including the possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to a transcript of a court hearing in the case:
On the afternoon of Feb. 5, Officer Jose Flores responded to a call at the Chico Mall where he met up with a Butte Interagency Narcotics Taskforce agent. The agent reported that he saw Lejk in the stolen Toyota Corolla.
Flores asked Rachel Paul, the woman who reported the vehicle as stolen, to come to the Chico Mall. According to Flores, Paul stated that she did not recognize Lejk and she did not sell the vehicle to anyone.
Flores found a bill of sale on the vehicle which stated it was sold Jan. 20, but Lejk said he bought the car at the beginning of February from his friend Zach (no last name given.)
Zach’s name was not on the bill of sale, and when Flores pointed that out to Lejk, Lejk said he hadn’t read the bill of sale because he couldn’t read.
However a preliminary hearing on Feb. 25, Norton caught Lejk writing and pointed that out to the court. He will be sentenced May 26.
Lejk committed two other felonies in 2013 for battery and possession of a controlled substance, according to court records.
By Samantha O’Reilly