A 33-year-old Merced man was arrested Thursday afternoon after he tried to distance himself from a stolen white Cadillac CTS as a Ceres Police officer closed in on him.

At 3:02 p.m., Officer Charles Lordhuff was patrolling the 1400 block of Mitchell Road when he located the stolen vehicle and approached Mark Wilson, the man who had been driving it. The officer saw Wilson throw the vehicle keys into a bush as he walked away from the car. As additional officers arrived on scene to assist, Wilson was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle and vehicle theft.

A routine records check revealed Wilson had a misdemeanor warrant for his arrest for drug-related charges. Wilson was then booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center.