Two arrested in Brookings after allegedly crashing vehicle, then fabricating carjacking story

A juvenile and a young man, both from Brookings, were arrested after crashing a car and then telling police a bogus story about what had happened.

Brookings Police Sergeant Joel Perry says a report came in Sunday evening that a vehicle had been stolen at gunpoint from the two young men on the 700 block of 8th Street Southwest. They claimed four males had carjacked the vehicle.

It was later found, crashed into a creek east of Brookings.

Perry says it was determined the two were lying about what had happened. The juvenile driver and an 18-year-old passenger, Felix James Bearhill, were both charged with false reporting and ingesting a substance to become intoxicated. The juvenile driver was also charged with DUI and leaving the scene of an accident.

Perry says they believe the two had borrowed the car, crashed it and then made up the carjacking story.

November 1, 2022