Jeep stolen from Louisville repair shop recovered

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Police have recovered a Jeep that was stolen after a thief snatched the keys from an overnight key drop.

Belinda Roberts, the owner of the Jeep, said it was found in Indian Hills Sunday night, about 5 miles away from where it was stolen.

The crime was caught on surveillance cameras at Reece Auto Service in the Highlands.

That video shows a man dressed in dark clothing with his face covered walking onto the lot at 5:06 a.m. Two minutes later, he is seen crouching next to the door. He uses a grabber tool to reach through a three-inch exhaust hole in the door to try to get the keys. It takes a few minutes for him to get them in his hands. Within a minute, he walks to the car, opens it up and drives off the lot by 5:23 a.m.

Michael Fautz, who owns the automotive shop, put in additional safety measures to protect vehicles after the theft. He turned the video over to Louisville Metro Police to help with the investigation, and posted to neighborhood social media pages to warn nearby neighbors.

Now that it has been found, police are fingerprinting the Jeep to see if they can identify the thief.

"I never thought it'd get stolen off the lot at the mechanics," Roberts said. "I don't think I've ever heard of anyone losing their car using a key drop from the mechanics. But, I guess it makes sense it's availability, right?"

Anyone with information that could lead to an arrest is asked to call the anonymous tip line at (502) 574-5673 or use the crime tip portal.

Related Stories: