Tractors stolen, police rammed: 37-year-old faces court in Mels
A 37-year-old man is facing the Werdenberg-Sarganserland district court on charges of five tractor thefts, driving the wrong way on the A3 motorway, and ramming a police vehicle.
Five stolen tractors, one motorway driving offence and police rammed: Defendant admits in Mels
As reported by Google News CH — Crime (de), a 37-year-old man appeared before the Werdenberg-Sarganserland district court on Wednesday in Mels — responsible for a series of tractor thefts as well as driving the wrong way on the A3 motorway, which nearly resulted in a catastrophe. "I have done a lot of bad shit," said the defendant in court.
The 24-page indictment lists a total of five tractor thefts in the Sarganserland, Werdenberg and Linthgebiet areas, along with two attempted thefts, the motorway driving offence, and attempted aggravated assault. Additional charges also apply: cash thefts and the theft of bells and chimes together with straps.
Always the same pattern
The tractor thefts followed a consistent pattern. The man visited agricultural businesses and found vehicle keys unsecured in nearly every case — in the ignition, on the sun visor, in the ashtray, on the dashboard or in the cup holder. During the driving occasions, he had always consumed substantial quantities of alcohol, typically four to nine cans of beer, sometimes also wine. He has not held a driving licence for agricultural vehicles for a long time.
With the stolen tractors, he mostly drove to his place of residence. On the way there, he repeatedly caused material damage: knocked-over fences, struck house walls. At the end of May 2025, a stolen tractor landed in a stream near Berschis.
Wrong-way driving on the A3
It became particularly dangerous on a night in May 2025. The man drove onto the A3 motorway at Niederurnen with a tractor stolen in Grabs, on canton Glarus territory, turned around and drove the wrong way as far as the Glarnerland service area. After the judge showed video material from that incident, the defendant admitted: "Yes, I was lucky that nothing worse happened."
Police officers injured
On a July night in 2025, a police patrol noticed the unsafe driving of the tractor driver. The officers attempted to stop him and progressively deployed warning signals in accordance with procedure — without success. The driver, who was operating a tractor with a front loader and trailer, rammed the police vehicle at approximately 40 kilometres per hour from behind and pushed it into grassland. Both police officers suffered whiplash injuries and further injuries. The defendant continued driving home, caused further collisions and eventually spent the night outdoors.
The defence counsel disputed intentional injury to the officers in this regard. Her client had been startled by a "dangerous manoeuvre" by police who had cut off his path, she argued.
"Switched my brain off"
When questioned by the chair of the district court, the defendant stated that he had been wandering about, had been drinking, "felt unwell", had switched his brain off — "I didn't care about anything" — and had stolen the tractors. It had been like an addiction.
A psychiatric assessment found the 37-year-old to have an alcohol dependency disorder and an immature personality disorder. The expert described the man's life using the image of a poorly equipped theatre stage. Alcohol was "the fuel for the defendant's criminal problems," according to the psychiatrist. With the defendant, nothing seemed to work except pressure; the expert doubted whether inpatient measures would promise long-term success. What was needed was "a very tight corset."
Over a year in Saxerriet
The man has been in pre-trial detention at Saxerriet correctional facility for just over a year — not for the first time. Over many years, his life had been characterised by criminal activity, the court noted. Before the bench, he was taciturn but showed remorse. "I am truly sorry for what I have done to you," he said in his closing statement.
The prosecution is seeking a custodial sentence of three years — minus a suspended previous sentence of 144 days, twelve days in remand custody, and the pre-trial detention already served of now over a year. The defence counsel pleaded for outpatient therapy within the framework of detention at Saxerriet, where her client said he felt comfortable.
The verdict has not yet been delivered. The Werdenberg-Sarganserland district court must now determine the appropriate sentence and suitable therapeutic measures for the acts, which are undisputed except for one theft.
Source: Google News CH — Crime (de)