SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Car thefts in Chittenden Count continue at a brisk pace as lawmakers debate stricter penalties to address the issue.
Five days a week, South Burlington resident Ellen LaBounty parks out front of Williston Road Dunkin Donuts to get her usual order, but on Tuesday morning her breakfast came with a side of surprise. She walked out to find that her car was gone.
“It was nowhere to be found and I’m thinking to myself, this ain’t right,” LaBounty said. The 70-year-old says she left her car running like she always does at 5 a.m., and even though the car is programmed to lock when she walks away, the thief was quick enough to get inside. “It was all done within 30 seconds.”
LaBounty’s car is equipped with tracking technology that police were able to access. They say the suspect was spotted in Winooski and then sped off. He was eventually arrested off of Zephyr Road in Williston. Josh Kakes, 30, of Milton, is suspected of driving under the influence and other charges are pending.
LaBounty found items thrown around on the inside and she is getting it checked out for other damage. “It’s gonna be an expensive trip,” she said.
South Burlington Police Chief Shawn Burke says car thefts are on the rise. “It’s a very concerning crime trend that’s going on in Chittenden County. There were 24 reports of car thefts in 2018. As of last year that number had jumped to 126.
Burke says its usually a crime of opportunity. “Suspects are stealing cars that are unlocked with the keys in them and using them for other crime sprees, be that retail theft or burglaries,” he said. And a warning to change some old habits. The things we used to be able to do as Vermonters — leave our homes unlocked, cars unlocked, keys in cars — you can no longer do that.”
And that’s something LaBounty says is a hard reality to get used to. “You used to be able to leave your car running but you can’t do that no more, you can’t,” she said.
Vermont’s law governing car theft is called operating without the owner’s consent and is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Lawmakers are in the process of debating whether to add an attempted auto theft statute for people caught in the act.
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