Clinton Vanhook came out of Fred's store shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 11, and found a bicycle in the parking spot instead of his vehicle. His 2013 Honda Pilot was gone. Interestingly, the bicycle looked like his son's bike.
Vanhook told Pea Ridge Police he had gone into the store, come back out to get his debit card out of his car, gone back into the store to pay for his purchase and came back out to find his vehicle missing. He told police he had left it unlocked and the keys in the ignition.
Vanhook said the bicycle looked a lot like his son's bicycle.
Police immediately issued a BOLO -- be on the look out -- to all surrounding law enforcement agencies for the vehicle. They impounded the bicycle, as possible evidence. There was no one around to claim the bicycle and no report of a stolen bicycle, according to the report.
At 1:40 p.m., while in Pea Ridge City Court, Pea Ridge Police were notified that a Benton County Sheriff's deputy had the suspect vehicle stopped on U.S. Highway 62 near Andy Jack Road in Avoca. Pea Ridge officers went to the scene and confirmed it was the vehicle stolen earlier in the day from Pea Ridge.
Driving the car was a 17-year-old girl from Pea Ridge, police said. There was no damage to the vehicle.
The girl's parents were notified. She was interviewed after her father arrived at the police station.
The girl told police she walked away from the high school without attending class, then walked to the City Park. From there, she began walking back towards McDonald's, she said, when she noticed a bicycle in a yard on Ford Street. She took it to ride to town. It was Vanhook's son's bike.
The girl said she was riding the bicycle through the parking lot of Marvin's IGA and Fred's when she heard "dinging" as though a car door had not been completely shut; she said she saw the key in the ignition of the Honda. She admitted she left the bicycle and took the SUV, drove to the Avoca One Stop and was planning to return the vehicle to the Fred's parking lot when she was stopped.
The girl was cited for felony theft and misdemeanor theft and released to the custody of her parents.
"I believe that we were very fortunate," Police Chief Tim Ledbetter said. "Our officers got on this very quick and got the information out. We're very pleased that the deputy was focused and able to locate this vehicle."
Ledbetter said it is very ironic that the two thefts were from the same family.
General News on 03/19/2014