Alleged Fugitive Car Thief Pleads Not Guilty

An alleged interstate fugitive accused of stealing a $35,000 Porsche SUV in Belvedere last month pleaded not guilty Wednesday but delayed a hearing on possible extradition for a host of other charges out of Texas.

James Pursley, 57, pleaded not guilty to charges of vehicle theft, residential burglary, identity theft and receiving stolen property, and will be back in court Feb. 16 to set a trial date on the local charges. Pursley, who was arrested Jan. 15 by Mill Valley Police, could face eight years in prison if convicted of those charges, the Marin County District Attorney’s office said.

Pursley was also charged with being a fugitive from justice in a forgery case from Ellis County, Texas. The arrest warrant in that case is one of five outstanding warrants for Pursley from Texas, Colorado and Santa Cruz, according to the complaint filed by the District Attorney’s office.

On the fugitive charge, Pursley declined to admit or deny that he is the James Pursley wanted in Texas, and he is expected to address his identity at the Feb. 16 hearing. Judge Andrew Sweet said it was initially unclear how the local charges would impact Pursley’s possible extradition on the other charges, and delayed ruling on the fugitive charges until the Feb. 16 hearing on both.

Pursley is charged with stealing a 2010 BMW from a San Francisco couple who are friends with a woman Pursley was dating in Tiburon. The couple was out of town at the time of the theft, and Pursley pretended to be the owner of the BMW in responding to a Craiglist ad for a silver 2006 Porsche Cayenne for sale in Belvedere, according to Belvedere Police Chief Steve Fracolli.

The seller of the Porsche let Pursley take the car for a test drive, with the BMW left behind at the seller’s home as collateral. Pursley did not return, and the BMW later vanished as well, according to police. The Cayenne owner reported the car stolen Dec. 30.

In the meantime, the San Francisco couple returned home from vacation and saw their BMW in their garage but noticed that it had been used while they were gone. They reported the incident to police. Both the couple and Pursley’s girlfriend in Tiburon, with whom he had been living, knew Pursley under a different name, police said.

Pursley is also accused of stealing personal information, a Chase Mastercard, cash, a PlayStation, an iPod, gift cards and clothing from the couple.

On Jan. 15, a local resident who knew Pursley called police at around 9:10 a.m. to report seeing him driving the Porsche Cayenne along Panoramic Hwy. in Mill Valley. Police reached Pursley as he entered Sausalito, and after a brief chase, he gave police a false name.

When officers discovered his real name, Pursley was then connected to the five outstanding warrants for burglary, auto theft and fraud-related crimes, according to Lt. Jacqueline Graf-Reis. Pursley's criminal history includes three fraud-related convictions in Monterey County and a false impersonation conviction in Santa Cruz County, according to the district attorney's office.

Pursley remains in custody without bail. He is expected back in court on Feb. 16.