Man suspected of NC plane theft arrested by police

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Authorities say they have arrested a man they believe had stolen an airplane from a Chapel Hill airport and crashed it before getting away.

University of North Carolina police said 46-year-old Curtis Rene Mellott was arrested Thursday afternoon at his home in Chapel Hill.

Police spokesman Randy Young says Mellott is charged by UNC police with felony larceny. A warrant from the Alamance County Sheriff's Office charges Mellott with felonious possession of stolen property.

The sheriff's office said Mellott stole the single-engine Piper Saratoga from the airport and crashed it in woods near Graham, a community about 60 miles west of Raleigh. Authorities say the plane was taken sometime after 9 p.m. Monday and before 6 a.m. Tuesday.

Investigators reported that they found blood in the cockpit.