LoJack Recovery of Stolen Jeep Leads NC Army Officers to Huge Stash of Stolen Property, One Arrest
- June 30, 2012
- recovery stories
On June 12, 2012, the owner of a 2009 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon contacted the Fort Bragg Military Police to report the vehicle was stolen from Federal property off Manchester Road, on the US Army Post, Fort Bragg, NC. Fort Bragg Investigative Officers verified the theft and entered the vehicle’s information into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the Jeep Wrangler.
A short while later, deputies with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office picked up the silent LoJack homing signals from the stolen Jeep on the Police Tracking Computers installed in their patrol vehicles. Following the directional and audible cues from the LoJack computers, the deputies tracked the vehicle in the southern portion of the county around Upchurches Pond and Waldo Beach Road area. Due to the mobility of the Jeep and sand dune terrain, the Jeep and occupant(s) was able to escape.
The following morning, area law enforcement was updated about the previous night’s tracking of the stolen Jeep. The NCDMV License & Theft Bureau Inspectors began to extend the search, using their Police Tracking Computer. Shortly thereafter, the inspectors acquired a track signal in the Riley Road and Cliffdale Road area. Following the computer’s signals, inspectors responded to a residence off Brookshire Street in the city of Fayetteville. There, they recovered the Jeep in the front yard. Interviews and consent to search the property led inspectors to recover additional stolen property, including: a 2005 Dodge Ram truck and a 2008 Yamaha motorcycle (each stolen from Fayetteville), and three Polaris ATVs and a generator (stolen from Fort Bragg). An additional motorcycle and two utility trailers were seized for further investigation, as the VIN on each vehicle had been removed. The total recovery value is believed to be greater than $60, 0000.
One male suspect has been arrested on three felony counts of possession of stolen vehicles and one felony count of possession of stolen property. He is also charged with four misdemeanor counts of possession of altered VINs. The suspect was placed under a $40,000 bond. Further investigation is being conducted by military investigators regarding the theft of government property.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Jeep Wrangler in October 2011 by Hendrick Chrysler-Jeep.