LoJack System Helps the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Recover Stolen Honda Civic
- October 24, 2018
- Law Enforcement
In October 2018, the owner of a 2016 Honda Civic contacted the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Charlotte, NC to report that the vehicle had been stolen after he left it running in the parking lot of a convenience store. The owner stated that he had been in a confrontation with a group of people in the parking lot; so he moved the vehicle to the other side of the parking lot. He told the Officer that he went inside the store and left the vehicle running. The owner further informed the Officer there was a crowd of people surrounding the Honda when he came out and preventing him from retrieving the vehicle. The owner said he went across the street to a separate store to avoid a confrontation and asked an unknown individual to go retrieve the vehicle for him. The vehicle owner told the officer that the unknown individual went back across the street, to retrieve the vehicle; but did not return. The vehicle owner informed the Officer that he waited to report the incident to see if the suspect would return with the Honda. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers which automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the Honda.
After the vehicle was entered into the National Computer Crime Data Base, Officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Honda with the LoJack Police Tracking Computers (PTC) that are installed in patrol vehicles and aircraft. Following the directional and audible cues from the PTC, the vehicle was tracked to a set of duplex apartments just 5 miles from the incident location. The duplex apartment is known to the police for illicit drug activity. The Officers observed the vehicle parked in the yard of the duplex. The Officers spoke with several individuals at the apartment. One of the individuals at the duplex informed the Officers that the vehicle owner allowed him to drive the vehicle in exchange for $100 dollars of marijuana. The individual advised that he did not bring the vehicle back yet and that is why the owner reported it stolen. When the Officers contacted the owner and informed him of the vehicle location, the name of the person in possession of the vehicle and his version of how he obtained the vehicle, the owner admitted to drinking and smoking marijuana and said he just wanted the vehicle back and have the case closed. The Officers had the vehicle towed and closed the case.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Honda Civic in January 2017 at Hendrick Honda, Charlotte, NC.
