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Joyride nets man, 66, charge of auto theft

 
Published Nov. 20, 2002|Updated Sept. 4, 2005

A retirement home resident's unauthorized Sunday drive was cut short after he was cornered by authorities and accused of stealing a car from a church parking lot.

Charles P. Savary, 66, puffed on a cigarette as deputies surrounded the stolen Plymouth at Quarry and Orva drives in Citrus Springs, according to his arrest report. He was taken to the Citrus County jail, where he was booked on a charge of grand theft auto.

According to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, Savary has a reputation for wanderlust: It was the second time he was accused of leaving Barrington Place, a Lecanto assisted living facility, without permission and swiping a car.

The odyssey began about 10 a.m. Sunday while Bobbie Marcoux was attending services at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2149 W Norvell Bryant Highway (County Road 486.)

When she walked out of the church to the parking lot, her red 1990 Plymouth hatchback was gone. Marcoux, 20, notified authorities.

The Sheriff's Office issued a description of the stolen vehicle. Within moments, a member of the volunteer crime watch spotted the car headed north on U.S. 41, the arrest report showed.

Deputies raced to catch him, but Savary wasn't giving up without a fight, according to the report. He was chased down Citrus Springs Boulevard until he was finally trapped near the Marion County border, the report said.

A woman who answered the phone Tuesday at Barrington Place said Savary was no longer a resident there. She referred all other questions to Pam Campbell, the facility's executive director, who was not available for comment.

Marcoux told deputies she wanted to press charges. Savary remained at the jail Tuesday with bail set at $2,000.

_ Carrie Johnson can be reached at 860-7309 or cjohnsonsptimes.com.