SALISBURY — Hearing his four-wheeler crank up in front of his house at 7:30 in the morning last week sent a Jones Road man racing out the front door to see what was happening.

What he saw, according to reports from Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, was someone he did not know driving away with his vehicle. The man told deputies he jumped in his truck and gave chase, and when the thief crashed the four-wheeler and took off running, he stayed with the vehicle, called 911, and waited for officers.

Meanwhile, the thief then broke into a shed behind a nearby property, but that property owner called police to report a break-in after spotting the doorway open. The thief ran away again.

When deputies searched the area around the shed, they found a cell phone and several items of clothing, including one sneaker that they believed belonged to the suspect.

Deputies caught up with the alleged thief, David Wayne Hastings, a short time later, and he was still wearing the matching sneaker, according to reports.

Hastings was subsequently charged with breaking and entering and felony larceny.