In recent years, automotive theft has continued to increase at an alarming rate, and that doesn’t just include vehicles stolen from individual owners, either. Rather, these days, people are stealing vehicles from dealerships and even automaker-owned storage lots, with the Ford F-150 continuing to rank among their top targets. That’s precisely why the refreshed 2024 F-150 will be offering customers the company’s new Stolen Vehicle Services feature, which is a connected service designed to help locate and recover stolen vehicles. In the meantime, we continue to see vehicles get stolen at a rapid rate – including in the Atlanta, Georgia area, where one man recently made off with a whopping five pickups from a single Ford dealer, according to the City of Winder.
That man – 28-year-old Xavier Cordel Evans of Atlanta – was arrested recently after he reportedly stole five pickups from Akins Ford in Winder. The Ford dealer contacted police after it discovered that the trucks were missing, which reportedly have a cumulative value of around $400,000. From there, Winder police worked together with Atlanta-area cops to locate and arrest Evans in just a few short days, charging him with five felony counts of Theft by Taking Motor Vehicle.
According to Winder Police Chief Jim Fullington, this particular crime – along with other, similar thefts as of late – required “specialized technical knowledge and equipment to bypass the vehicles’ security systems and reprogram electronic ignition systems.”
“These are not your ordinary car thieves,” Fullington said. “This is an organized group or theft ring with specialized technical knowledge and equipment that target expensive late model vehicles that are in high demand for the whole vehicles or their parts. I am proud of the work by Winder police personnel in this investigation. This case is an example of diligent police work and utilizing various intelligence tools to follow the evidence in an investigation. It also shows the significance of having good working relationships and communications with other law enforcement agencies that can help play a part in furthering an investigation.”
We’ll have more wild theft stories to share soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for continuous Ford news coverage.
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