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MURRAY — A man who allegedly told police he'd rather go back to prison than be on the street has been arrested and accused of stealing two cars at a local dealership.
James Thomas Carey, 49, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Monday for investigation of robbery and two counts of theft.
On Friday, Carey entered Tim Dahle Nissan, 4528 S. State, and attempted to steal a car, according to a police booking affidavit.
"The owner of the vehicle confronted him. James drove off in the vehicle with the owner hanging on to the car to stop him," the affidavit states. Carey then stopped the car and ran to a second vehicle that was running, got in and drove away, according to police.
Carey was released from a federal prison on May 4 and absconded from a federal halfway house a couple of days prior to going to the dealership, according to investigators. When police located and arrested him on Monday, he stated that "he wants to go back to prison and does not want to be out on the street," the affidavit states.
Carey's lengthy criminal history most recently includes being convicted in federal court of bank robbery in 2013 and being sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
