Posted on 02/07/2019 1:01:45 PM PST by rightwingintelligentsia
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man is accused of stealing an elderly couple's car in the middle of the night - while they were asleep - and returning it before they woke up.
Police said the man used the couple's van as a getaway car in other vehicle break-ins.
Beverly Havard, who lived in the the Pinehurst neighborhood for 40 years, said she misplaced her spare key and started noticing changes with her vehicle.
"The seat was pulled back and the mirrors were adjusted," Beverly said.
She said she started tracking her vehicle's mileage, which was also changing.
"I said, 'Somebody's driving my car and bringing it back. I know I'm not crazy,' Beverly said.
Friday night, authorities arrested Michael Armando Lopez after they caught him in the Harvard's car.
Deputies said when they tried to stop him, he sped off and crashed into a pole.
Now, the Harvard's are left without a vehicle, which was specially designed for Beverly's disabled husband, Rick.
(Excerpt) Read more at abc13.com ...
Michael Armando Lopez ....probably
But he always brought it back with a full tank and clean windows.
Maybe just a new twist on the ridesharing phenomenon? Uber for criminals?
This must be happening at my house, too.
I asked my wife if she knew how the car got a dent on the door.
She had no idea.
Now I feel bad for calling her on it.
His version of Lyft.
Were the radio station channels all changed when they got the car back? Did he pull the old switcheroo?
Mr. b bought a locking gas cap a couple days ago. He thinks someone is stealing his gas.
The Club?
I parked my truck outside the no park zone during the tennis tournament at Carter Barron, Rock Creek, Washington DC, last July. It was a sketchy neighborhood, still NW but along 13th St. I found a school, figuring that would be a good place. The idea was to ride my bicycle from there, as field parking was closed due to weather.
Anxious to get to the tournament, I put The Club on the steering wheel, jumped out of the truck to unload the bike and get going. As I reached into my pocket to unlock the bicycle, I realized I had left the keys in the cab. And, of course, I had locked the door — and there on the drivers seat, neatly placed next to my wallet and cell phone, were my keys. So I had a truck, a bicycle, a cell phone and money, none of which I could touch without breaking into my own car.
I hailed a dog-walker who kindly let me use her phone, but neither my wife, my daughter nor my mother picked up, as none recognized the number. She had to run, so I figured I’d call AAA on someone else’s phone.
A man walked by, 60+ yo black man, and asked what was going on. I explained, and he said, “Shoot, I left my shimmie at the garage.” Then he handed me his track phone, which was useless as I kinda needed my wallet to get the AAA number. As we went back and forth he, said, “Wait! I’ll be right back.” He went into the apartment building across the way and came back out in about five minutes, holding an enormous key chain with about 200 keys. “Here, this might work.”
He went to the passenger side and started trying different keys. I said, “It’s an ‘07.” “Oh,” he replied, and grabbed a particular key. Voila, it immediately opened the door. He looked inside the truck and saw The Club I had on the steering wheel, then laughed, “That won’t work. Get an alarm.”
So relieved, I gave him the 60 cash I had in my wallet, and we both left, happy. I drove back across 16th street and parked in the wealthiest area I could find, then biked up to the stadium and watched them try to dry the courts from all the rain for two hours. Managed to see only one match, Andy Murray, probably his only win in the last 8 months... The match I wanted to see, Wawrinka/Tiafo canceled just after the warmup at 1am due to another rain shower.
Anyway, I’m guessing this guy had some prior experience in a chop shop and with transiting cars to/from... and, clearly, The Club was not obstacle to him.
Well, it isn’t me.
I do steal some electricity from electric cars.
I hook up a wire to them and then try to suck out some electricity.
When I wake up, the car is usually gone.
Great story! And well written! Reminds me of many happy times hearing concerts at Carter Barron back in the day.
However, the problem in the OP was that someone was driving their car and returning it — i.e. not a full-fledged chop thief, but an opportunist. With a club on the steering wheel, and unless all casual car thieves have a bank of keys like your urban hipster guy, including club keys, the club does deter most joy riders and amateurs.
What I have seen is they saw through the steering wheel and bend it a bit and out comes the Club.
We went to a child locked in a car years ago. It was an early 90’s Ford Explorer like my wife’s. I pulled my key out, and it unlocked their door. The guys jaw fell on the ground!
There were only about a dozen different key patterns.
I get that, just reminded me of my story.
I use The Club whenever I have to leave my dogs in the truck to run in somewhere. Not optimal, but along w/ an alarm to warn me, I figure it gives me an extra 30 sec I wouldn’t otherwise have.
And had they used The Club, this guy likely would have taken someone else’s car, so right you are!
Wow. Future collector’s item!
So, bottom line, I got to think about all my happy times at Carter Barron when I was a teenager, and you got to exercise your excellent short story skillz — we’re all good!
“The Club was not obstacle to him.”
He probably had a key to it already.
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