Police are looking for thieves who ran off with several car batteries in an apartment complex parking lot. It happened at the Parc Bordeaux Apartment Homes in Beech Grove sometime late Tuesday and early Wednesday morning.
Gail Rozkydol was planning on taking her grandson to the doctor in the morning but couldn’t get her car to start. She thought it was strange since she just bought a new car battery two weeks ago. She woke up to find car hood was open.
“It’s just an old junker car! Doesn’t seem to matter to these people,” said Rozkydol. “I get in my car, turn the key and I got nothing.”
We do know of at least four incidents, but neighbors say there may be more.
The crimes have Cary Gates suspicious. His 1996 Dodge Ram pickup was stolen last Friday, along with the bricklayer’s tools he needs to work.
“They’re traumatizing people’s lives and it’s wrong,” said Gates. “I’m out probably about $10,000 and there’s no way I can replace it. There’s no way.”
Police say thieves may be targeting car batteries to resell. They go for around $5-10 at metal scrap yards or even more in the street.
Rozkydol, who doesn’t work, is now struggling to come up with the money to buy a new battery.
“I’m not working. I can’t afford to pay another $100 for another car battery,” she said. “I went to the junk yard to try to buy one. They want $60 for a decent one. $60 is like $6000 right now.”
Police are working hard to enforce the metal scraps ordinance, which monitors the sale of recycled metals. Some shops tell Fox 59 whether it’s copper, hydraulic converters or car batteries, they always checks IDs and document everything.
