Thieves Take Three Vehicles, Leave Stolen Vehicle Behind at Battle Creek-area Dealership
Investigators in Calhoun County are trying to locate three suspects accused of a theft at a Battle Creek-are dealership over the weekend. It happened at the Henkel Dealership on W. Dickman Rd. in Springfield at around 5:30 Sunday morning.
In a press release, the Calhoun County Sheriff's office says the three suspects showed up at the dealership that morning in a Ford F-150 truck. Then they abandoned that vehicle and each of them took three other vehicles that were parked outside Henkel's offices. No description of the vehicles that were taken has been released at this time.
Investigators say that the truck that the suspects drove to the dealership was apparently stolen out of Kalamazoo. They are currently processing that vehicle to try to gather any physical evidence that was left behind. No description of the suspects themselves has been made available at this time. It was unclear if they were able to determine the number of suspects from surveillance or some other means.
Anyone with information on this vehicle theft or who may have observed suspicious activity in the area Sunday morning should contact Lt. Hirakis or Dep. Goedge at the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office at 269-781-0880 or Calhoun County Dispatch at 269-781-0911.
This theft comes as many dealerships locally and across the nation are already struggling amidst shortages in inventory for auto parts and the general pandemic-related supply chain issues. Demand for vehicles is high right now, but some dealerships are being forced to sell pre-owned vehicles since new vehicles are arriving slower.