A Boring man who was trying to make a court appearance was arrested on Thursday when he parked a battered, stolen car near the Clackamas County Courthouse.

Gary Ramsey Jr., 48, was driving through downtown Oregon City when a pair of West Linn Police officers, fresh off a traffic stop, noticed the state of his vehicle. The rear window and one side window were completely smashed out, while the windshield and both front windows appeared to have been bashed by a baseball bat, said Sgt. Dave Kempas of the West Linn Police.

Officers ran the plates and discovered the car had been reported stolen from a rental car agency several months ago, Kempas said.

Officers confronted Ramsey while he was paying for parking near the courthouse. He told the officers that he rented the car six weeks ago on a trip to California, but soon realized he needed to keep the car longer. A friend tried to pay the rental agency for an extension, Ramsey told the officers, but the agency didn't accept cash, Kempas said.

When asked why he didn't just return the vehicle, Ramsey told officers he didn't have another way home and didn't want to be stuck in California.

How the windows got smashed is another story. Ramsey explained this his girlfriend's sister broke them, but would not give any further details, Kempas said.

Officers turned Ramsey over to Clackamas County Sheriff's Deputies at the courthouse so he could make his court appearance. Ramsey was later lodged in Clackamas County Jail on charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle, unauthorized entry to a motor vehicle and criminal possession of a rental motor vehicle. Bail was listed at $37,500.

-- Michael Bamesberger