Car Thefts in Wilkes Increasing

Car thefts appear to be on the rise in Wilkes.  The Sheriff’s Office has investigated several reports over the past couple of weeks.  Two reports have come in since Tuesday.  In the first report, a car was reported stolen, wrecked, missing, and recovered.  The victim on South Lomax Road called the Wilkes Sheriff’s Department when he noticed his Crown Victoria car missing from his garage.   Later a wreck involving a Crown Victoria was reported near the house where the car was stolen; however, before law enforcement could arrive to investigate the wreck, the driver in the stolen vehicle left the scene.  Wilkes Sheriff’s Deputies continued searching and finally found the stolen car parked behind an abandoned house on Grissel Tail Road in Traphill.  There is a suspect in this auto theft but no arrests have been made at this time.  The car was returned to the owner.  Then someone called the Sheriff’s Office to report the theft of a car on Holland Woods Drive.  The reporting person told Sheriff’s Deputies that the vehicle owner was currently in jail.  The car, a ’93 Chevy Camaro, was parked in the driveway when someone with a rollback truck came, loaded up the car, and left.  The victim says that the car was no repossessed.  There are no suspects in this auto theft but the Sheriff’s Department is still investigating.