DETROIT (FOX 2) - A Macomb County man whose truck was stolen from a dealership while being repaired in Detroit got some good news Tuesday - he's being reunited with his car.
“Completely shocked. Overwhelmed. Stunned," said Garret Pawley of his reaction to hearing the news. He's been without his 2019 Dodge Ram truck that he affectionately calls Big Rhonda for about 10 days now.
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Dealership owner says they got hit 3 days in a row in vehicle thefts
A Detroit dealership owner says they were hit three days in a row by thieves, who got away with more than a dozen vehicles.
The owner of Ray Laethem Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram on Detroit’s east side says a group of what appeared to be young men broke in on November 14, 15 and 16.
“Three days in a row. Hardest we’ve ever been hit," owner Jeff Laethem said. “They pushed cars for the first time. They took a big three-quarter-ton truck, slammed into it and we believed they used this [truck] as the second one to slam through the cars.”
He believes 13 vehicles were stolen, some of which were fleet vehicles.
And included in that count is Big Rhonda, along with some of Pawley’s possessions. Pawley called the FOX 2 Problem Solvers after he says he couldn’t get any answers from the dealership.
“It was the story of, 'Oh, we’re waiting to hear from the police,' day after day after day," Pawley said.
Laethem admitted there was a communication breakdown and offered to give Pawley a better rental and pay for whatever Pawley had inside, including $400 Prada sunglasses.
“We fell short not having the information and not conveying to him that we're on it on a consistent basis, because we've been on it but we didn’t do a good job communicating it,” Laethem said.
Meanwhile, Detroit Police say so far they’ve made two arrests, two 17-year-old males. Police say they found Big Rhonda on Camden Street in Detroit.
Detroit police also say Big Rhonda was found back on November 14 and had some damage, but Pawley's $400 Prada sunglasses were still inside.