Sarasota man stole a car in Florida, ended up naked in a New York chicken coop, cops say

A 25-year-old Sarasota man is facing multiple charges after a bizarre series of events in Kirkwood, N.Y., on Tuesday.

Sarasota resident John Mehne faces charges of criminal possession of stolen property and cruelty to animals after a seven-hour manhunt stemming from Mehen crashing a stolen vehicle. The search ended with officers finding Mehne naked inside a chicken coop.

According to a WFLA report from the Associated Press, New York State Police say he crashed a stolen Audi A5 on Interstate 81 — a vehicle he stole in Florida.

That was the first event of a long series of strange events.

According to Spectrum News, Mehne attempted to jump into the back of a passing pickup truck following the crash, but failed. He then fled into the woods where he wound up in his first chicken coop and was seen by the homeowner killing chickens.

When confronted, Mehne allegedly picked up an ax and chased off the homeowner, stole an ATV and drove about two miles down the road where he broke into a home and killed a dog.

Mehne fled that scene and police eventually caught up to Mehne when he was seen naked in the second chicken coop.

He was arraigned Wednesday and remained in jail without bond. Police had little more to offer as to Mehne’s intent or state of mind as he refused to speak without a lawyer present.