Joy ride leads to felony charge

Published 11:43 pm Wednesday, November 25, 2009

A 48-year-old Gulfport man is being held on $50,000 bond after police say he took a joy ride on a front-end loader.

Police said that Tommy Labrie Meisner is charged with a felony based on a state law that went into effect in 2007.

Police Chief Alan Weatherford said Meisner’s arrest came after a woman called police early Saturday to report a piece of heavy equipment was missing from behind her residence.

Weatherford said Meisner is on parole for a residential-burglary conviction in Texas.

Joy riding is the crime of taking a vehicle without the owner’s permission.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Meisner has an attorney.