While he visited his daughter on Sept. 8, Thomas Vansteenkiste’s car disappeared from the Ohio University parking lot where it was parked.
The Ohio University Police Department ran a search to see if the 2003 Jeep Wrangler had been towed, Vansteenkiste said, but it turned up no results. An OUPD report lists the vehicle as stolen and states the incident is under investigation.
Vansteenkiste contacted his insurance agency and had to arrange another ride to his home in West Chester, he said.
“Just another hurdle in life,” he said. “That stuff happens. That’s why we have insurance.”
Vansteenkiste isn’t the only person whose car was allegedly stolen near Athens in recent months. Athens County Crime Solvers Anonymous listed eight alleged vehicle thefts in its crimes of the month news release, three in Nelsonville and five from Athens, according to a previous Post report. In many of those cases, the vehicle had a damaged ignition switch or someone left the keys inside, according to the news release.
Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said organized crime might be responsible for the string of thefts. Groups sometimes move through the region, steal several cars, sell them for scrap metal and move on, he said.
“If it’s a pattern, usually it’s organized crime,” he said. “We’ve had theft of vehicles, (theft of change from) parking meters, you name it. Criminal enterprises will develop throughout the Ohio region and travel.”
Athens saw a similar string of thefts last year when parts disappeared from the exhaust system of several vehicles in Athens. Those thefts stopped within months, and Pyle said this string will probably be no different.
Athens County Sheriff Rodney Smith said he doesn’t think vehicle theft has been much of a problem elsewhere in the county. The county sees more incidents of individual parts being stolen, he said.
Peggy McKee, an owner of McKee Auto Parts, 2205 New Beckler Road in New Marshfield, said stolen cars aren’t much of a problem for her business. McKee Auto Parts requires documentation including a driver’s license and a title of ownership when buying cars.
“You’re not allowed to sell me a car without a title,” McKee said. “And there’s no exception.”
McKee said she also doesn’t buy parts. The business doesn’t have anywhere to store them, and the parts people want to sell tend to arrive damaged.
The business usually doesn’t see anything suspicious enough to contact law enforcement.
“If there’s something stolen or something, they’ll call me or come out,” McKee said. “But usually, we don’t really have a problem.”
