Colby-Abby police warn of string of car thefts

A series of motor vehicle thefts have taken place over the last two months in the city of Abbotsford. Four separate cases were investigated, with the first occurring at the end of May and the most recent taking place on Monday. In all cases, the vehicles were stolen with the keys located in the vehicle and were taken and driven around the area before eventually being abandoned and later discovered. A single juvenile suspect was involved in all four cases, with various other individuals being associated with the others.

The first incident saw a minivan stolen from where it was parked behind a business in Abbotsford. The owner of the vehicle reported it stolen on May 25, with his son, who was the primary user of the vehicle, having noticed that it had gone missing the night before. Review of local security cameras in the area that the vehicle had been parked did not reveal anything helpful to the investigation at the time.

Two days later on May 27, the police department received a phone call stating that there was a minivan driving recklessly near a park in Colby. The caller stated that the vehicle had driven by their home numerous times at high speeds and that numerous individuals were getting in and out of the vehicle at the park. An officer went to speak with the caller, who identified two individuals still at the park as having gotten out of the van. The officer then spoke with the individuals, who identified the driver of the vehicle and stated that

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they did not know who the van belonged to. The officer then attempted to contact the driver at their residence but the individual was not home at the time. A separate interview by a different officer had individuals seen coming out of the van noting that the driver had stated that they had stolen the vehicle.

On May 28, the stolen vehicle was discovered in a parking lot of a business in Abbotsford by the owner. After an officer confirmed it was indeed the stolen vehicle, they reviewed security camera footage that revealed that it had been dropped off at the location shortly after the reckless driving incident near the park the day prior. After finding the vehicle, two officers once again went to the driver’s residence and were able to make contact with them.

After some questioning, the individual admitted to driving the vehicle near the park in Colby and having stolen it a few days prior, noting that the passenger side window had been down and the keys were still in the vehicle. When asked why they stole the vehicle, the individual stated that they were joking with a friend they were with and then they took it. Charges of taking and driving without the owner’s consent, second degree recklessly endangering safety and operating without a valid driver’s license were referred at that time.

About a month later on June 24, another vehicle was reported stolen from a parking lot of an Abbotsford business. The owner of the vehicle stated that the last time they had seen the vehicle was on Friday, June 21, and that the keys had been in the vehicle.

The next day, June 25, the owner reported to police that the stolen van had been seen in Dorchester and was currently parked in a parking lot there. An officer arrived on the scene and confirmed that the vehicle was indeed the one that had been stolen. The officer then reviewed video footage from a local business and could see that on Friday, June 21, the van appeared in the parking lot in the evening.

The officer then met with an employee of a local gas station, who stated that four individuals had come to the gas station the evening of June 21, paying for gas with quarters. The employee then saw the same individuals trying to flag down cars near the parking lot where the van was found. The employee attempted to help them jump start their vehicle and then left. After reviewing the security camera footage from the gas station, the officer recognized two of the individuals, one of them being the individual who had stolen the vehicle in May.

Two officers went to the individual’s residence, where they asked them about the stolen vehicle. The individual admitted to having taken the vehicle, though stated that they had stolen it on Monday, June 17, and had been driving it around all week, storing it by semi trailers behind a business when not driving it. The individual was placed under arrest for taking and driving a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent. After speaking with other individuals who were with the driver on the evening of June 21, they stated that the individual had also tried to take another car by the pond in Dorchester after the stolen vehicle had been abandoned after breaking down, but had been stopped when someone yelled at him. They also stated that the individual had tried to steal other vehicles in Abbotsford on separate occasions.

On July 6, an officer noticed a vehicle in a city park’s parking lot that did not have license plates and was empty and individuals had reported as looking like it had been abandoned. After a few hours, the officer returned to see that the vehicle was still there. Using the VIN, the officer discovered that it had recently been sold at an auction.

Later that day, an individual called the police and stated they were missing a vehicle from their sales lot. The officer recognized that it was the vehicle they had found earlier and told the owner that it had been found. The owner stated that when the car was delivered, the keys were left in the car.

After reviewing surveillance video, the officer could see that two individuals had arrived on the lot around 3:15 a.m. that morning, got into the vehicle and drove it off the lot. The individuals were wearing hoodies and could not be identified from the footage. No other information could be gleaned from nearby security camera footage.

On July 7, the officer was informed that two individuals came to the business at 1 a.m. and tried to take the same vehicle. An employee happened to be there and attempted to confront them but they ran off.

On July 15, another vehicle was reported stolen. According to the owner, it had been dropped off at a business's parking lot and when the owner had returned the next day to explain the repairs they would need, they saw that the vehicle was gone. The owner of the business said they had not seen the vehicle.

After receiving a description of the vehicle, an officer recalled having seen a similar vehicle parked behind a local business. The officer went to the location and confirmed that it was indeed the stolen vehicle and was able to have it towed at the owner’s request.

This location was the same spot where the individual that had stolen the prior vehicles had parked them, so two officers went to their residence to speak with them. The officers made contact with the individual and asked if they had stolen the vehicle. The individual initially denied having stolen the car but after some questioning admitted that he had taken it. They also admitted to having taken the other vehicle that had been stolen on July 6 at that time and identified the other individual that was with them at the time. The individual was then arrested and transported to the CAPD while waiting for social services to find a placement. They were later advised that statute requirements of being a danger to themselves or others and/or being a flight risk had not been met so the individual was released into the custody of their father.

The CAPD has referred charges to social services and are discussing further charges against the suspect and other individuals involved in the various thefts.