A bizarre incident unfolded earlier yesterday at a Muncie bookstore when a local man drove a forklift into the establishment. According to FOX59, officers were dispatched to the Books-A-Million on N. Granville Avenue after an alarm sounded at approximately 4:47 a.m. On arrival, they encountered 34-year-old Grayson Noles, who was bleeding from his right hand, the result of cuts from glass shards.
The front doorway of the bookstore was heavily damaged. Noles stood next to the forklift when detained by authorities, at first, he claimed that he was coaxed into the act by two individuals in the parking lot, a number that later changed to five, according to what Noles told police, as WIBC reported. He was subsequently arrested and charged with burglary, a Level 5 felony.
In a statement obtained by WTHR, Noles recounted to police that three other men, present in the parking lot of the Muncie Mall where the bookstore is located, convinced him to mount the forklift, which had been left unattended with the key still in the ignition. His alleged accomplices then dared him to drive the vehicle into the bookstore's doors. When police questioned Noles about his motives, he could only offer that he "did not know."
Following the incident, Noles was transported to the Delaware County Jail, where his bond has been set at $5,000. The Delaware County Prosecutor's Office is expected to make the final decision on charges.
