South St. Paul Man Accused of Stealing Metro Transit Bus Acquitted

Photo: Photo: Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Thirty-one-year-old Gregory John Jennrich of South St. Paul

August 15, 2016 05:47 PM

A South St. Paul man who was charged after police said he stole a Metro Transit bus has been acquitted due to a mental illness, according to court records.

Thirty-one-year-old Gregory John Jennrich of South St. Paul was acquitted of a theft charge Monday.

The incident happened Wednesday, Feb. 16. According to the complaint, the bus operator was on a break at the Holiday gas station near Robert Street and Marie Avenue in St. Paul when the bus was stolen.

Police used a GPS to track down the bus in about eight minutes and found it on westbound Interstate 494 heading toward the 24th Street exit in Bloomington.

Police stopped the bus and identified the driver as Jennrich, who was arrested.

Jennrich said he took the bus because he was late for work, according to the criminal complaint.

In an interview with police, Jennrich said he works as a mechanic for Metro Transit and that he was on his way to work when he saw the bus at the gas station and took it.