Early yesterday afternoon, about 1:30 p.m., police chased a stolen car from Red Oak, through DeSoto and into southeast Oak Cliff, nearly a dozen miles as the crow flies. They wound up on a mostly empty stretch of Camp Wisdom Road.
It's not clear from a DPD incident report whether the thief jettisoned the stolen car at this point or simply hid it very well, but two hours passed before a burglar alarm brought officers to The Ranch, a nearby daycare center. They were no doubt surprised to find the car theft suspect's wallet and drivers license, identifying him as 42-year-old Brad Edward Bell, alongside the shirt, jeans and underwear he had discarded outside the building.
Officers surrounded the daycare while they waited for the owner to arrive to unlock the front door. Inside, they took a look at surveillance footage, which showed a naked guy milling about, looking through drawers. They watched as the man, still nude, bolted for the attic when officers first announced their presence at 5:30 p.m.
Bell wasn't quite naked when he surrendered to police a few minutes later, though police seized the blanket with which he was covering himself, since it belonged to the daycare. It's not clear whether he was given an alternative covering, though it looks from his mug shot that tattoos cover a good portion of his torso. He was arrested for burglary and was taken to Dallas County jail, where he's being held on a $50,000 bond.
