- Eaton County has seen a spike in car thefts, with 32 calls responded to in the past month, including 19 attempted thefts and 7 stolen vehicles.
- Kia and Hyundai vehicles remain primary targets despite recall fixes aimed at preventing theft.
- Watch the video to meet one KIA owner who had his car broken into in Delta Township.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
"I had this feeling of, 'Why did it happen? Why my car?'"
Delta Township neighbor Jim Patino is left with spare keys and a car in the repair shop after thieves attempted to steal his KIA.
"They smashed out the back passenger-side window."
Patino says the thieves then attempted to start the car but were unsuccessful, and he thinks it's because of new anti-theft parts put into his car after a recall.
"I think it probably stopped the person attempting to take the car."
Patino’s car was one of six car break-ins last week.
"This last month, we’ve really been hit. It kinda comes in waves, and right now we're at the top end of a wave," said Block.
The Eaton County Sheriff's Office says that countywide, over the last month, they have responded to 32 calls related to car theft incidents, with 19 of those being attempted thefts and seven being stolen cars. So far, six have been recovered.
Block says thieves are targeting Kia and Hyundai vehicles.
"You know, they had that issue with them a while ago. The recall fixed most of those problems, but right now that is kinda the trend again, as we’re seeing a lot of Kias being taken," said Block.
The search for suspects has led to an arrest.
Block says a 15-year-old boy is now in the Eaton County Youth Facility after a neighbor called about a Kia being broken into on Monday night.
"She thought they were attempting to steal it, and with our increased enforcement, we had deputies in the area very quickly. We got on scene, and we did have a suspect take off running from us; however, we were able to apprehend him very quickly," said Block.
Block says this arrest is unrelated to the police chase involving a stolen car that happened last week in Delta Township. Police are still searching for that suspect.
The sheriff's office says they have increased patrols in areas where car thefts have been present.
Meanwhile, Patino is still scratching his head over why thieves targeted his car.
"The parking lot was totally packed, the place was busy, and for them to knock out a window and try to take your car is definitely difficult to understand," said Patino.
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