From Clinton Police: Don’t Leave Your Car Running and Unattended

Police officers and departments everywhere tell us never to leave our cars running unattended. Why? Because most car thefts are crimes of opportunity. In the time it takes you to hop into the mini-mart for a cup of coffee or a pack of smokes, a thief can hop in your car and take off with it. The following item from The Clinton, Missouri Police Department Facebook page proves it.

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On Wednesday, August 24, in the early morning hours, Clinton Police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle from Clinton Convenience Store on North Second Street. Upon arriving, police found the vehicle had been left running and was unattended.

In the time it took the car's driver to go into the mini-mart and make his or her purchases. Their car was, poof, gone. Went bye-bye. No longer in the parking space in front of the store. So yes, the message is simple. Never leave your vehicle unattended. Not even for a minute while you run into the mini-mart.

This story, though, doesn't end here. Clinton Police pulled surveillance footage from the store and captured the theft, the suspect, and the suspect's vehicle. One of the officers recognized the suspect vehicle and found it at a residence in the 600 block of East Grandriver according to the Clinton Missouri Police Department Facebook page.

The suspect initially refused to exit the residence when other occupants of the home complied with the investigating officers' request. The suspect was captured after finally emerging from the home and leading police on a short foot chase.

The suspect, James Lamont Grant, 24, of Shawnee, Kansas was arrested for an outstanding warrant for Robbery in the Second Degree out of Kansas as well as an investigation of Vehicle Theft and Resisting Arrest. The stolen vehicle was recovered, as well as a handgun stolen out of Kansas City, Missouri.

The bottom line is, don't leave your vehicle running when you're not in it.