COLUMBIANA – An Opelika man was recently arrested and charged with theft of property in the first degree, criminal mischief in the first degree and criminal trespassing in the third degree after he allegedly stole a vehicle from a Pelham business.

Cory Allen Kingery, 36, who lists an address on Lee Road 43, was arrested by the Pelham Police Department on Tuesday, Oct. 10. According to the Pelham Police Department, Kingery was first detained by the Bessemer Police Department, who then turned the case over to the PPD.

According to his arrest warrants, Kingery allegedly “did knowingly enter or remain unlawfully in or upon the premises” of the Driver’s Way car dealership and stole a Chevrolet Camaro on Monday, Oct. 9.

Kingery was charged with criminal mischief after he allegedly inflicted over $2,500 worth of property damage by running a Dodge Ram 1500 into a metal fence at Driver’s Way.

First-degree theft of property is a class B felony. If convicted, Kingery could face a maximum of 20 years in prison and owe up to $30,000 in fines.

According to the PPD, Kingery had been out of prison for less than a month on similar charges at the time of his arrest.

Kingery is currently being held at the Shelby County Jail on bonds totaling $25,300. His case was assigned to Shelby County District Court Judge Daniel A. Crowson and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 2.