The Escalade was still there, minus tires and rims.
Ann Clark walked out to her driveway early one Monday morning, part of her normal routine, and was shocked at what she found.
“I saw the car and just said, ‘What the heck?’” she says.
All the tires and rims of her family’s 2009 Cadillac Escalade were gone, the vehicle left sitting on blocks. Empty boxes also littered their front yard.
“It kind of sank in quickly,” she says. “I walked all around it, and yep, they got them all. It was pretty upsetting actually.”
The Clarks filed the loss with their insurance company and expected it to cost $7,500 for replacements. When they found out about another crime the same night in the neighborhood, the boxes also began to make sense. A neighbor had been installing some electronics equipment at his family’s lake house, and several empty electronics boxes were left in that family’s truck.
“Here’s the funny part. They stole the next-door neighbor’s truck, threw the boxes in my yard, and then stole the rims and tires and they left it up on blocks.”
Dallas Police Lt. Barry Payne of the North Central Patrol Division says the theft of tires and rims is somewhat common, and offers some ideas on how to deter criminals from targeting your vehicle.
“Parking your car in your garage is the most effective way to protect your property,” Payne says. “One might consider locking lug nuts and motion detecting lights in your driveway if you are going to leave your car outside.”
