Law enforcement is on high alert for car thieves following burglaries at two North Alabama dealerships within a week. North Country Ford in Arab reported eight stolen cars this week, amounting to $1.2 million. General Sales Manager Nick Dukes expressed astonishment at the cost of replacing both vehicles and keys. Both dealership staff and Arab Police suspect the thieves specifically targeted the priciest vehicles available.
It’s the highest of the highest end,” Dukes said. “They’re not going for [Lamborghini’s] because a lot of dealerships around here don’t have them, but it seems like they’re able to get in our dealerships. They know exactly what they’re doing.”
Dukes believes the thieves broke into the service bay window and stole 300 keys from the key vault to steal eight vehicles.
Normally, he said this would have been caught on the dealership’s security cameras, but he said the thieves are professionals.
“It looks like they were able to tap into our IP address, and were able to shut the cameras down,” he said.
Police Chief Shane Washburn was struck by the sophistication of the thieves’ methods. He remarked, “I’ve been here for 24 years, and I’ve never seen something this sophisticated.” According to a manager speaking to WAFF 48, the stolen cars had a tracking system, but the thieves managed to deactivate it. Chief Washburn noted the typical signs of burglaries, such as broken windows or pried doors, were absent in this case, making it unusually sophisticated and alarming.
Police said there is no reason to believe a dealership employee is behind the break-in.
Since information was released by North Country Ford, two of the eight stolen vehicles were located.
This wasn’t the only break-in at a North Alabama dealership in the last week. Fort Payne Police officials say thieves stole four cars worth a total of $300,000 from Landers McLarty Ford last week.
