ASHEBORO N.C. – Despite a recent string of vehicle thefts, the total number of cars stolen are actually down according to data from police.
This month Acme News has seen a lot of police reports and press releases involving stolen vehicles coming through our newsroom.
- On March 3, 2022, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office responded to US Hwy 311 in Sophia, in after getting a call about subjects in the parking lot in a vehicle that the caller believed was stolen. Deputies located the stolen vehicles and arrested Thomas Brandon Simms and Tori Ladena Henderson for various charges including Felony Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle as well as drug charges.
- On March 5, 2022, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office received a BOLO (be on the lookout) notice for a stolen vehicle from Asheboro. A short time later, deputies responded to an assault call on Allred St. in Franklinville where the caller reported that Wanda Sheree Carter had arrived at the residence in the stolen vehicle and subsequently assaulted the caller. Carter was arrested and charged with felony possess stolen firearm, felony possession of firearm by felon and misdemeanor possession stolen goods/property.
- On March 14, 2022, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office responded to Tall Pine St., Asheboro, in reference to a vehicle theft. Upon arrival. Deputies later located the vehicle on another call on Tall Pine St., in which a vehicle matching the description was located with a male subject inside of it.
- On March 15, 2022, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office encountered a stranded vehicle on Suits Rd. in Archdale. They discovered that the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Greensboro. The driver who police identified as Lucas Matthews Jennings was placed under arrest for possessing of a stolen motor vehicle.
- On March 15, 2022, Jonathan Marcell Shamburger was apprehended by the Criminal Apprehension Team on Kenmore Drive in Asheboro. Shamburger was wanted in connection with a January 5th, case on Delta Dr. in Randleman, where a vehicle was stolen.
- On March 18th 2022, Asheboro Police recovered a stolen vehicle at a traffic stop at Medo’s on N Fayetteville St.
While the vehicle thefts listed above is not a complete list, they were enough to make us wonder if there has been an increase in the number of thefts. So we asked local law enforcement agencies both for the data as well as their opinion on if they have noticed any spikes in the number of thefts, Here is what we found out.
Vehicle thefts are trending down after spiking between December 2021 and January of 2022. Over the last 6 months the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department reported that they responded to 74 vehicle thefts and the Asheboro Police Department reported 37. The Randleman Police Department’s data was not included in the graph above due to the low number of vehicle thefts reported. “We have only received four larceny of motor vehicle reports, all of these were from 2021. We have not had any reports of vehicle thefts in 2022,” said Capt. Sexton with the Randleman Police Department in an email to Randolph News Now.
According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) stats 721,885 vehicle thefts were reported nationwide in 2019, nearly half of those thefts were due to driver error says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). They say using common sense when parking and exiting your vehicle by not leaving your keys in your vehicle, close and lock all windows and doors when you park, and parking in well-lit areas when possible. Never leave valuables in your vehicle, especially if they can be seen from outside the vehicle.