Police: Man 'Tired of Cold Weather' Steals Iowa City Vehicle, Heads South to Mississippi

A Coralville man is facing a serious felony charge after being accused of stealing a vehicle from Iowa City and driving it to Mississippi because, he told authorities, he was tired of Iowa's cold weather.

According to a criminal complaint from the Johnson County Sheriff's Department, on the evening of Dec. 31, 2012, Harold Edward Schneider, 46, of Coralville approached a residence at 5302 American Legion Rd. SE and drove away in a 2009 Black Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, valued at $27,500. The jeep had been parked in the driveway with the keys in the vehicle, according to the complaint.

The owner of the vehicle noted the absence on Jan. 1, and notified the Johnson County Sheriff's Department. It was then entered into a national database of missing vehicles.

A day later, on Jan. 2, at 7:40 a.m. the vehicle was stopped by law enforcement officials working for the Panola County Sheriff's Department in Mississippi.

In a subsequent interview, Schneider allegedly admitted to stealing the vehicle and traveling to Mississippi because "he was tired of the cold weather and the snow and he wanted to get South where it was warm." He also admitted to taking several items to fund expenses such as gas money for the trip. Schneider had lived in Mississippi previously, according to the complaint.

Schneider was booked into the Johnson County Jail on Jan. 19 at 10:50 p.m., according to online court records. He is being held on $50,000 casho-only bond for a first-degree theft charge, a Class C felony.