SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (WHBL) -- A Manitowoc man is facing multiple felonies after taking a disabled man's car.
47-year-old Russel Sliwinski Sr. faces one count each of obstructing an officer and taking a vehicle without the owner's consent and ten counts of bail jumping.
According to a criminal complaint, deputies were called to a gas station in Adell after a man came into the store and was unable to pay for gas. He then went out into the parking lot and started taking the license plate off the vehicle. When deputies arrived, the man identified himself as Ricky Sliwinski, and that he couldn't find his ID. He did have a social security card in his wallet identifying himself as Russel Sliwinski.
While officers were trying to figure out who the man was, Sliwinski started talking about how he had just bought the car and that he was on his way to the DMV to get the title on it. Deputies then got a picture of Russel from the sheriff's department and confronted Sliwinski, who claimed it was his dead twin brother and not him. Deputies were later able to positively identify Sliwinski thanks to unique scars.
Police also ran the registration of the vehicle and found out it belonged to a disabled man from Saukville. The victim told police that Sliwinski had been taking advantage of him for the last several days.
Sliwinski is currently free on a $3,000 cash bond and is due back in court tomorrow for a preliminary hearing.
