LoJack® System Helps Lee County Sheriff’s Department Recover Stolen Ford F-250
- March 17, 2016
- recovery stories
The owner of a 2005 Ford F-250 contacted the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department to report that their vehicle was stolen during the night from their apartment complex parking lot off Landmark Drive near the I-26/I-20 junction in Columbia, South Carolina. The owner had parked and locked the truck the night before, came outside to take the family to church and discovered the Ford missing. The owner was certain the truck had been locked but no glass breakage was found in the parking space. The owner, now victim, is a former military member and purchased the used F-250 while still enlisted. The victim knew the high theft rate of trucks near his former military base in the state of Washington and made the decision to equip the F-250 with the LoJack® System.
The Lexington County SD verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers which automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the Ford.
A short while later the Lee County SD picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Ford with the LoJack Police Tracking Computers (PTC) that are installed in patrol vehicles and aircraft. Deputies responded to the area off US 341 north of Bishopville. Following the directional and audible cues from the PTC, the deputies tracked the Ford to a small manufactured home park off Doc Drive and St. Paul Lane. The F-250 was located behind a home, having no apparent damages since the theft. A person occupying the home was questioned regarding the F-250. Statements were given about a named male suspect bringing the F-250 to the home the morning of the theft report and asking if the vehicle could be left there until the suspect returned. The suspect is known to be living and working 60 miles away at a vehicle service center in Columbia. When the owner/victim was notified of the Ford’s recovery, the Lee County SD deputy asked the owner if the truck had been serviced recently. The F-250 had recently been left at a service center in Columbia and new high profile tires had been installed. An investigation continues in an effort to see if the suspect had access to the F-250 key and possibly made a duplicate, aiding in the theft of the F-250.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Ford F-250 in July 2013 at Legend Auto Sales in Burien, Washington.