A car stolen from a convenience store in Linton, Indiana was recovered in a neighboring town just 20 minutes after its owner reported the loss on Saturday, according to a report in the Greene County Daily World.
The newspaper says that the owner of a maroon 2000 Grand Prix pulled into a Sunoco in Linton and left the keys in the ignition to run into the store momentarily. When he returned, the vehicle was gone. He notified the police at around 12:30 p.m., and two officers responded.
Just 20 minutes later, however, officers in neighboring Bloomington stopped the car, initially for a speeding violation. The driver was an 18-year-old woman named Dakota Smith, police told the paper. The Bloomington officers quickly realized that the vehicle they'd pulled over had just been reported stolen, and took Smith into custody. The Daily World added that a small quantity of "what appeared to be" marijuana was found in the car, as well.
The Grand Prix's owner violated one of the cardinal rules of auto theft prevention when he left the keys in the ignition. Much of what goes into keeping one's car from being stolen is limiting the motivation and opportunity for a casual thief to break in. Regardless of the length of time for which a motorist is going to leave the car, they must turn the car off, take the keys with them, and lock the vehicle if they get out. Additionally, making sure that personal electronics and other valuable items are taken with or are at least not easily visible can make a car a less attractive to potential thieves.