CPD investigates stolen car parts
More than $20,000 in stolen car parts is being investigated by the Columbia Police Department.
In the past, thefts from Bob McCosh Chevrolet in Columbia could hardly be considered a problem at all, sales manager Jeff Miller said.
“We’ve had the police called in when we’ve seen a set of tires stolen here or there,” he said.
Bob McCosh Chevrolet has never experienced a theft of the degree that took place Jan. 11, Miller said.
According to a CPD news release, the wheels and tires of three Chevrolet Avalanches and five Chevrolet Tahoes were taken off the lot, bringing damages to the dealership to a total of $21,440.
This isn’t the first theft of this caliber that CPD has seen in recent months, and the police said car dealerships in Columbia and nearby areas have a reason to be especially cautious right now.
According to the news release, Joe Machens Automotive suffered a similar theft back in November of 2009. Wheels, tires and bolts of two Mercedes, two Cadillacs and one Chevrolet Corvette were found missing from the lot. In this instance, damages came to $24,000, the news release stated.
“Whoever did the thefts came well prepared because they put the cars on cinder blocks that they had brought with them to the lot,” CPD spokeswoman Jessie Haden said. “They’re very unusual. Whoever decided to do these crimes knew exactly what they were looking for because they went for the high dollar tires.”
Haden also said the perpetrators appear to be very efficient, as CPD has been unsuccessful in finding a witness to these crimes.
“We’re looking for someone who was possibly there during that time frame, like a customer or an employee,” Haden said. “We’re also checking with neighboring businesses to see if their surveillance caught someone leaving the lot.” For the employees of Bob McCosh Chevrolet, their main focus is on preventing further thefts and damages.
“(The police) will send a car every so often to come through the drive through, but I guess there’s not a whole lot a dealership can do other than the man power the police department provides,” Miller said. “It’s hard for us to say to them ‘have a car come through every ten minutes.’”
CPD is currently working with local dealerships and offering advice for safeguarding their lots.
“One quick fix is to limit entrances and exits to your lots,” Haden said. “It takes a little extra work, but ask employees at the end of the day to block some of the entrances and exits. It makes it more uncomfortable for criminals, because the getaway is very important to them.”
