This has a bitter-sweet ending…
A man in Florence, South Carolina accused of stealing 4 classic cars on February 26 has been apprehended by police. Those 4 rides were a 1968 Buick Skylark convertible, 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle, 1976 Chevrolet Corvette, and a 1986 Chevrolet 1500 truck. While the vehicles have been recovered, the end of this story isn’t entirely happy.
Learn how car thieves are using wildlife cameras to target you here.
Walking out of your house, a store, or anywhere else to find your car is just gone can make your heart drop into your stomach. Even worse is realizing a classic you stored securely in a warehouse was swiped. That happened to an unnamed victim or victims and we can’t help but feel for them. A call to police early on the Morning of February 26 went out and authorities immediately started spreading word of the theft. Thankfully, all was not lost, quite literally.
Working together, the Florence County Sheriff and Florence Police executed a search warrant on a property where the vehicles were believed to be kept. Authorities hit paydirt, finding all four classic cars stored in the garage. They also arrested Caryone Corry McDonald, charging him with possession of a stolen vehicle and operating a chop shop.
Yes, that’s right, the guy was chopping the cars. Local law enforcement didn’t get specific, but said some of the vehicles had already been stripped for parts. Likely those components are long gone, sold on the black market, but more charges and arrests might be coming soon as a result.
While this situation is bitter-sweet for the owner(s) of the cars, it’s a good reminder to everyone else to take all the steps possible to secure your collectible vehicles. This kind of theft has been entirely too common as criminals have stepped up their game, going so far as to use technology like wildlife cameras to figure out how to swipe your ride. Using several methods to make your car difficult to steal is best, as is using alarms and cameras to alert you when the crime is in progress.
