August 31, 2023 10:50 a.m. 

A Cottage Grove man was jailed following a stolen vehicle wreck Wednesday afternoon.

An Oregon State Police report said at 1:45 p.m. a trooper located a pickup involved in crash on Highway 38 about a mile west of Elkton. Roadway evidence indicated that the vehicle veered off the road for unknown reasons, entered a ditch and crashed over a posted sign. Minor damage was sustained to the passenger side of the vehicle. The pickup was occupied by a man that allegedly displayed mental health issues and was unable to produce a reasonable statement about who the truck belonged to or what had happened. The driver was partially unclothed from the waist down. The registered owner of the pickup was contacted and said that it had been stolen.

The driver, 40-year old Joseph Stanford was charged with unlawful entry into a motor vehicle, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and for possession of a stolen vehicle. Stanford was detained without bail.