Chicago Teacher's Purse and Key Stolen, Car Stolen 5 Months Later — Quickly Recovered
- June 25, 2012
- recovery stories
In December 2011, a Chicago schoolteacher had her purse stolen from her classroom. Inside the purse was a spare key to her 2009 Honda Civic; the purse and its contents were never recovered. Then, on the evening of May 30, 2012, the teacher discovered her Honda missing from the school parking lot, and immediately contacted the Chicago Police Department to report the crime. Chicago Police verified the theft and had the Honda’s information entered into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the vehicle.
A short time later, an officer with the Chicago Police Department received the Honda’s silent LoJack signal on the LoJack Police Tracking Computer installed in his patrol car. Following the directional and audible cues on the LoJack Tracker, the officer tracked the Honda to a residential garage in Chicago. The officer spoke with the owner of the home, obtained consent to search the property, and quickly located the stolen Honda inside the garage. The property owner told police that her grandson had parked the vehicle in the garage. Further investigation determined that the grandson attends the school where the teacher teaches.
As a result of the quick recovery time, the stolen Honda had no damage and the suspect(s) were unable to strip it or use it to commit other crimes. The stolen Honda was released to the grateful owner.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Honda Civic when it was purchased as a new vehicle in September 2009.