EVERETT, Wash. >> A Marysville man trying to become a police officer is now facing charges after he reportedly confessed to theft during a police ride-along.

The Daily Herald, citing records, says the 26-year-old man also admitted to the theft on his application to become a police officer in Lake Stevens, north of Seattle.

The man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of first-degree theft, a felony. He appeared in Everett District Court Friday and was ordered released without bail. His name was not immediately available.

The man reportedly told a Lake Stevens police officer last month that he paid a friend $300 to steal his vehicle three years ago in Everett. He then collected nearly $12,000 in insurance money.

Everett police spokesman Aaron Snell says police investigated after being informed of the crime. In court papers, police wrote that prosecutors determined that the statute of limitations for theft had not expired.