CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Car thefts are a crime on the rise in Albemarle County and, increasingly, the perpetrators are juveniles.
Albemarle County Police Cap. Michael Talbert said 32 vehicles were stolen in the county in the first five months of this year. Nine vehicles were reported stolen in May and in most of those cases, the suspects were juveniles, some taking advantage of owner negligence, he said.
“There was one vehicle where the owner left the key in the car and it was stolen. Then they left their key again and it was stolen again,” Talbert said. “So, we are really encouraging folks to please, take care of your valuables, because in that vehicle, you’ve got an untrained driver who is hyped up having a lot of what they consider fun in the late night, early morning hours. They could be endangering any number of people who are out walking, running going to work, doing whatever they’re doing, going about their business, by just not being a skilled driver in that stolen vehicle.”…