By Associated Press - Friday, December 30, 2016

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) - A Massachusetts man has denied theft charges after police say he tried to steal a car using the wrong set of keys and then punched the owner when he was spotted.

Everett Cuffee, of Florence, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Northampton to attempted larceny of a vehicle and other offenses.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette reports (https://bit.ly/2iLbEwt ) the car owner told police he had stopped at a convenience store Tuesday and left his car unlocked. Police say he noticed a stranger, later identified as Cuffee, fumbling with a set of keys in the driver’s seat. The keys left in the vehicle were the owner’s work keys.



Police say the 19-year-old Cuffee fled after the owner tossed hot coffee on him.

Cuffee was hospitalized for medical evaluation after the incident.

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Information from: Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton, Mass.), https://www.gazettenet.com

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