A Minot man has been sentenced to three years with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation after pleading guilty to a felony theft charge for stealing a pickup truck in April.

Jordan Steele, 19, Minot, entered his change of plea to guilty during his preliminary hearing in North Central District Court on Tuesday, pleading guilty to one Class B felony count of theft-take-$10,000-$50,000. Steele’s codefendant Eddie King, 29, is awaiting his own preliminary hearing, scheduled for June 26.

According to court documents, the vehicle’s owner contacted Minot Central Dispatch the morning of April 13 to report a black 2024 Dodge Ram stolen. Minot Police officers dispatched to the victim’s residence learned the vehicle’s GPS was pinging its location near an establishment in Kenmare.

A Ward County Sheriff’s deputy, dispatched to Kenmare, met with Kenmare Police Chief Allen Hall who had located the vehicle at the intersection of Ninth Street and First Avenue Northwest in Kenmare. The keys were left in the vehicle.

Law enforcement reviewed surveillance video captured by a doorbell camera at a nearby residence and observed two suspects exiting the stolen vehicle and setting off toward the nearby establishment.

The manager of the establishment informed law enforcement that two individuals resembling the suspects had checked into a room, but it was discovered the suspects fled through a back door when investigators knocked on the front door. Both suspects were later located at separate residences and identified as Steele and King. Both Steele and King were arrested on existing warrants in Minot and Ward County but initially maintained their innocence regarding the stolen vehicle. Steele eventually admitted an individual he wouldn’t identify gave him the keys to the truck and told him it was stolen.

District Court Judge Stacy Louser sentenced Steele to 10 years with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, to first serve three years. Steele was ordered to complete three years of supervised probation after release, have no contact with the victim, maintain a 150 foot distance from the victim and complete a chemical dependency evaluation.

Steele also was assessed $774 in court fines and fees.