Vehicle is stolen on Kettering’s Westside Saturday morning

Kettering, Ohio – Saturday morning via the Neighbor notification system of the Ring app, a Kettering resident reported that a vehicle had been stolen from their driveway. The individual described the vehicle as a white Chevy Suburban with tinted windows. The vehicle theft was particularly notable because it was in the Western portion of the City near Waterbury Dr., which does not typically see many vehicle thefts.

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The Kettering Sentinel reached out to the Kettering Police Department (KPD), who verified that the theft was reported via incident report #21-053031. Fortunately, KPD also reported that the Huber Heights Police Department found the vehicle in a parking lot in Huber Heights. The vehicle has been returned to its owners. Huber Heights did not find any individuals with the vehicle when they recovered it. Currently, no arrests have been made.

The Ring app Neighbor system allows neighbors to respond to posts and notifications. In this case, there were a couple of responses where nearby neighbors said that they felt the neighborhood was going downhill. One even felt that crime was increasing in the neighborhood.

When asked about whether crime was increasing on the West side of Kettering, KPD responded that there is no indication that crime is getting worse in the area. KPD reported that there are typically 6-9 Westside incidents reported per month. Those 6-9 monthly incidents include traffic stops in the area where someone is arrested.

Although KPD says it is still difficult to gauge because full-year crime statistics are not compiled until after the New Year, the Department is anticipating an increase in auto theft numbers in 2021 compared to 2020. The Department attributes this mostly to crime being down overall in 2020 due to COVID. Currently, 13 vehicles have been stolen in Kettering during 2021. KPD says that so far there has only been 1 vehicle theft on the West side of Kettering this year.

KPD says that you can help protect yourself from auto theft by:

1. Make sure you don’t leave your keys in your car.
2. Make sure you lock your car when you park it.
3. Park in well-lit areas.
4. Do not leave valuables in the car.

KPD also says that home security devices can help deter criminal activity in general.

Of course, if you do become a victim of crime, report it immediately to KPD so that they can investigate.