This just keeps happening…
For years now, thieves have been pilfering dealerships in the middle of the night, breaking into key safes and taking all the high-performance and luxury vehicles their hearts desire. However, authorities are honing in on some of the more prolific thieves, like a group of 11 men Cleveland.com says have been charged with stealing over $5 million worth of vehicles from dozens of Ohio dealerships.
See thieves steal a Corvette’s roof here.
According to the report, the men are accused of stealing 86 cars from 26 different dealerships in 32 separate incidents. This was reportedly done over just a five month period throughout 11 counties in the northern part of the state.
This group, like many criminals, seemed bedazzled by Hemi V8s, as pointed out by prosecutors. They stole a lot of Dodge Challengers and Chargers, plus Durango Hellcats and Jeep Trackhawks. BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes were also favorite targets of theirs.
In total, these 11 men are facing a 142-count indictment. We wouldn’t want to be them, in all honesty, but we also wouldn’t break into dealerships and take whatever cars we wanted, believing there would be no consequences. Among the charges they’re facing now are racketeering, conspiracy, grand theft, felonious assault – the list goes on.
According to Cleveland.com the standout among the group is 20-year-old Makilin Wilson. He alone has been hit with 90 counts by prosecutors. He was caught after leading police on a high-speed pursuit in a Dodge Durango Hellcat back on February 18. While he outgunned them with the muscle crossover, police used Stop Sticks to deflate the tires.
With the costs of these heists spread around the industry and thus passed on to consumers through higher insurance rates, higher vehicle prices, etc. the problem of rising car theft rates has affected us all. We hope authorities continue to track down criminals who have been acting with impunity, sending a message to anyone who thinks they should do the same thing.
