Vehicles Stolen from Dealership Quickly Recovered

By Jeff Raasch, Reporter

Five vehicles were stolen from Cedar Rapids Motor Works, 1820 Sixth St. SW, this morning, Wednesday, July 11, 2012. They were recovered a couple blocks away, the owner said. (Jeff Raasch/The Gazette-KCRG)

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By Kara Kelly

Story Created: Jul 11, 2012 at 12:31 PM CDT

Story Updated: Jul 11, 2012 at 6:35 PM CDT

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Multiple vehicles were stolen from a Cedar Rapids dealership for the second time in three months early Wednesday morning.

Five vehicles were stolen from Cedar Rapids Motor Works, 1820 Sixth St. SW, but all were recovered a couple blocks away. Owner Rachelle Albright said the culprits pried open a garage door and broke a lock to get inside.

Albright said she was woken up around 3 a.m. with news that the police were investigating the break-in. She said once the suspects got inside the office, they found keys for all of the vehicles in the lot.

“I feel lucky that we got them all back,” Albright said. “They could have done a lot more damage than they did.”

Police Lt. Cody Estling confirmed the break-in and said “numerous” people have been interviewed in connection with the crime. Albright said she was told around 15 people may have been involved and were in custody.

Albright said she had not closely examined every vehicle that was taken, but did not see any obvious exterior damage. Change was also taken out of a vending machine in the office.

Three vehicles were stolen from the dealership in late April, but those, too, were recovered. After this latest break-in, Albright said she plans to invest in a surveillance system.