Woman who took car was an escapee

Two officers, dispatched early Friday morning to investigate a report of a stolen vehicle, recovered the vehicle and apprehended the driver, a woman who turned out to be an escapee.

Jaqueline (or possibly Jacqueline) Hardy, 32, Spencer, was booked into the Greene County Jail at 6:10 a.m. by Worthington Town Marshal Dennis Conaway.

A call reporting a 1997 Dodge Dakota pickup truck as stolen came in to the sheriff's department at 5:15 a.m.

Conaway and Greene County Sheriff's Deputy Aaron Smith were dispatched to a residence on County Road 700N, also known as Terre Haute Road, west of Worthington and east of Lone Tree Road.

The officers reported a man at the residence said his truck had been stolen by Hardy sometime between 11 p.m.-2:30 a.m., possibly around 2 a.m.

Conaway said officers were on the scene when Hardy pulled in to the driveway, driving the truck. He also said she did not have a valid driver's license.

They determined Hardy was wanted on a warrant issued in Marion County and she was taken into custody.

Smith said the recovered vehicle did not appear to be damaged.

According to the Indiana Department of Corrections (DOC) online database, Hardy was convicted of felony forgery in Monroe County on Aug. 28, 2005 and was sentenced to three years.

Conaway said he believed she had been in Women's Prison but then was serving time in a work-release program.

Hardy's status was listed as "escaped" by the DOC.

Smith said information on the incident will be forwarded to the prosecutor's office for potential charges that could range from a citation for driving while suspended to unauthorized control of a vehicle or vehicle theft and possibly other counts of theft.

The incident remains under investigation and Hardy remains in jail where she's being held without bond.