Honda Civic Stolen from Church Reception — Suspect Arrested, Vehicle Recovered After Highway Traffic Stop
- March 26, 2012
- recovery stories
On March 4, 2012, the owner of a 2010 Honda Civic left the keys to her car on a table at a church reception; a short while later, she discovered that the keys were missing. She then discovered that her vehicle, too, was missing, and contacted the Riverside Police Department to report the theft.
Riverside Police completed a stolen vehicle report and had the Honda’s information entered into the state and federal crime computer databases. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed within the Honda. Neither the owner, nor law enforcement agents, had to take any further action to activate the LoJack Vehicle Recovery Network, as LoJack’s interface with the police is both seamless and instantaneous.
Minutes later and 40 miles away, officers from the Anaheim Police Department began to pick up the silent homing signal from the stolen Honda on the LoJack Police Tracking Computers installed in their police vehicles. Following the directional and signal strength cues on the computer, the officers tracked the signal to the 91 Freeway at Weir Canyon. A K-9 officer waited further down the freeway until the signal came within range and began travelling the same direction as the vehicle. Backup units converged upon the area and conducted a felony traffic stop on the Honda at the 91 Freeway and Euclid. The driver was taken into custody without further incident and was booked Driving Without Owner’s Consent and Receiving Stolen Property. The victim responded to that scene and was able to retrieve her vehicle, purse and other personal property that had been in the vehicle when it was stolen.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was isntalled in the Honda Civic at the owner’s request at Rock Honda in September 2010.