Wheel bandits hit area car dealerships; 22-inchers targeted

Thieves drove into the Van Matre Buick, GMC, Cadillac lot in the 511 S. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau in a stolen white panel van and took 16 wheels off four GMC sport utility vehicles and trucks in about an hour at 1:30 a.m. July 30.

They were targeting 22-inch wheels on GMC Yukon and Sierra Denali vehicles; those wheels are more valuable because of their size, according to dealer principal Mark Van Matre.

A security camera at the car dealership captured the white van and shadowy figures moving from each vehicle, Van Matre said. Van Matre was unsure how many thieves there were because the footage was dark, but it was at least two because of the number of thefts accomplished in a short time.

He described them as professionals because they knew to cut battery security cables under each vehicle that, if tripped, would alert the dealership of a theft. Van Matre also said he believes they blocked the entrance of the dealership so unwelcome vehicles would not be able to drive through the lot.

The thieves also threw lug nuts through two of the vehicles windows before they left, Van Matre said.

"I'm not very happy about it," Van Matre said. "I have $280,000 worth of vehicles that I can't sell."

The van, featuring a yellow "How's my driving?" sticker, was stolen a few hours earlier July 29 at SEMO Automotive Parts at 606 Commercial St., according to SEMO Automotive Parts assistant manager Larry Palmer.

"It was there when we closed at 5 p.m.," Palmer said. "Monday morning, we only had one van outside."

Cape Girardeau police, led by Detective Jerry Franks, are investigating the theft of the van and wheels. Sgt. Adam Glueck said he could not release suspect information or information about the van's whereabouts.

Van Matre said each wheel has a serial number that could be traced if the stolen wheels are found.

"If they put their mind to do something legal, they'd probably be geniuses," Van Matre said of the thieves.

Other dealerships were victims of similar thefts in the past year. Allen Christian and Autry Morlan dealerships in Dexter, Missouri, had tires stolen off one vehicle each June 29.

In Allen Christian's case, the wheels were stolen off a GMC Yukon Denali XL, Denny Christian said. The thieves chose to steal wheels off a vehicle in the middle of a row of several other Yukon Denalis, Christian said. The thieves also cut the battery cable and put the SUV on cinder blocks when they were finished, Christian said.

"It sounds like the same thing," Christian said. "It's the first crime we've had in a long, long time."

Autry Morlan general manager Tim Robey said thieves stole four 22-inch wheels off a Chevrolet Silverado between 2 and 3 a.m. June 30. The vehicle was left on blocks, and the security cable was cut, Robey said. Robey said the thefts from the Dexter dealers seemed to match what happened in Cape Girardeau.

Christian and Robey said Dexter police were investigating the thefts, but there has not been an arrest in either case.

Laura Buick GMC in Collinsville, Illinois, had 22-inch rims stolen in October, according to service manager Scott Sipole. Thieves loaded the wheels into a beige GMC Yukon and left the pilfered vehicles on blocks, Sipole said. The thieves did not cut the security cable, Sipole said.

Collinsville police tracked the thieves to a nearby gas station, where a security camera captured their faces, Sipole said. Sipole said there was not an arrest in the case.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address: 511 S. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau MO