Chilton police interrupt car thefts at dealership PDF Print E-mail
Written by Mark Ignatowski, Editor   
Thursday, 28 January 2010 12:31
    Chilton Police are investigating multiple car thefts that occurred in the early morning hours of Sunday, January 10 in the city.

    According to Police Chief Larry Seipel, about $90,000 worth of vehicles were taken from the Central Garage car dealership on Madison St.

    Chilton Police Officer Mike Young, who joined the force in 2007,  was patrolling the city around 3 a.m. Sunday morning and spotted four vehicles parked between the Mobil gas station and Dairy Queen on Madison St.

    Two of the vehicles were missing license plates, one had a temporary plate from Illinois and the other had regular Illinois plate that did not match the vehicle.

    Seipel said Officer Young contacted Jonathan Martin from Central Garage to see if the vehicles were being moved for a reason. Martin said no, but that the dealership had been warned about several vehicle break-ins at a dealership in Burlington, Wis.

    The police then began a search for possible suspects. At approximately 3:45 a.m. a K-9 unit from Manitowoc was called in to help in the search. The police dog followed tracks to the collision center on E. Breed St.

    According to Seipel, a 2005 Ford Freestar van was taken from the Vande Hey Brantmeier and used as an escape vehicle by the suspects. The van was recovered in Chicago on January 12 and is being processed for evidence.

    The vehicles that were stolen recovered included a 2010 Dodge Challenger, a 2006 Dodge Charger and a 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T with Central Garage stickers on them. The fourth vehicle was a 2010 Buick Enclave that was stolen from a dealership in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.

    According to Seipel, the case is still under investigation and some evidence is still being processed.

    On Thursday, January 14, four individuals from Illinois were arrested after attempting to steal a vehicle from Bergstrom Chevrolet in Appleton. An Outagamie County Sheriff’s Deputy fired his gun at the vehicle and the suspects were apprehended. Two Grand Chute police cars and several Bergstrom vehicles were damaged during the ordeal. Seipel said there were several similarities between the two cases and that the departments will work to see if the cases are linked after the evidence has been processed.

    Seipel said stolen vehicles are not common in Chilton and that only about three vehicles are reported stolen every year. However, Seipel said every case has been one where the keys were left in the vehicle.
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