A Portlandville man was arrested Monday for allegedly stealing three cars in a matter of hours last month.
William E. Alvarez, 21, stole a taxi from an auto-repair shop on state Route 7 in the town of Oneonta on Nov. 22 and later crashed it on county Route 35 in Westford, Otsego deputies said in a media release.
Alvarez fled the scene of that crash on foot and took a pickup from a nearby driveway, deputies said.
He later crashed the truck into a telephone pole at the intersection of county Route 36A and county Route 34 in Westford, walked south on county Route 34 and stole a car parked in a driveway, deputies said.
That car was found over an embankment at Worcester Central School later that day. Alvarez was located at his home Monday and charged with two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, which are all felonies.
He also faces misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation.
Alvarez was arraigned in Westford Town Court and sent to Otsego Count Jail without bail pending further court action.
