Stolen SUV Tracked Down by App

A man who dropped off his SUV for repairs got an unpleasant surprise when the mechanic discovered the vehicle had vanished from the shop's parking lot. Fortunately, the owner had something the thief apparently hadn't counted on: a phone app that could track the vehicle's location. The technology helped deputies recover the stolen Subaru, but the investigation also uncovered signs that someone may have tampered with the SUV's electrical system. SUV Disappears From Repair Shop According to the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office, the owner had left his Subaru at Jerry's Muffler Shop in Proctorville for service. The mechanic told deputies he had parked the vehicle on the business lot before closing. When he returned, the Subaru was gone. The owner used the Subaru mobile app to check its location and showed the deputy a GPS reading pointing to a property in the Township Road 130A area. The mechanic still had the vehicle's only key. Deputies headed to the location to investigate. Stolen SUV Found on Vacant Property When the deputy arrived, he found a Subaru matching the description of the stolen vehicle. The owner positively identified it as his. Investigators learned that this was reportedly the second stolen vehicle that had been abandoned on the same property. The property owners told deputies they did not live there and that the location had been vacant for some time. They cooperated with the investigation and were ruled out as suspects. Missing Clothes, Vape Pods and Loose Change Before returning the Subaru to its owner, the deputy inspected it for evidence. Inside, he found a substantial amount of cigarette ash scattered throughout the passenger compartment. The cover of the vehicle's fuse box had also been removed and was lying on the driver's floorboard. With the only known key still in the mechanic's possession, the deputy suspected someone might have started the SUV by manipulating its electrical system. The owner also discovered that property was missing from the vehicle. Two bags of clothing he had intended to donate to Goodwill were gone from the trunk, along with some loose change and vape pods. The deputy photographed the vehicle's condition and released it to its owner. Security Cameras Capture Possible Suspect Although the muffler shop didn't have surveillance cameras covering the theft, a business across the street did. Deputies obtained access to footage from Sunnyside Dispensary, which showed a man wearing a red jacket, gray pants and black-and-white shoes approaching the repair shop's parking lot. The man appeared to try opening the doors of several vehicles before walking toward the area where the Subaru had been parked. He then disappeared from the camera's view. Unfortunately, the Subaru was parked outside the camera's full coverage area, so the deputy could not confirm whether the man entered or stole it. Investigators also spotted a dark-colored vehicle leaving the area on the footage, but further review established that it was not the missing Subaru. Detectives Continue Investigation The sheriff's report indicates that investigators planned to review additional surveillance footage to determine when the Subaru left the lot and whether the cameras captured anything else useful. No suspect had been positively identified at the time of the report. The case was forwarded to detectives for further investigation. For the SUV's owner, the tracking app helped turn a missing-vehicle report into a recovery. Finding out who took the vehicle remains the next challenge for investigators.

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