Port Huron dealership burglarized; Police search for trio of suspects
PORT HURON, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — There was a mad dash for the keys as thieves were on the hunt at a Port Huron dealership, and it almost cost the business a $60,000 car.
For decades, the Cawood Honda dealership had never been broken into until Monday night.
"We had one car key that was out, that was actually in our service department, that they were going to bring in for a safety inspection in the morning," said Ted Barrett, owner of Cawood Honda. "They [the thieves] found a place where they could climb under the gate at the fence, my guess is they climbed back out and got picked up."
The trio scoured the business for nearly 15 minutes, causing damage. Video showed the suspects crouching down to make a getaway. Sadly, their movement didn't trigger the motion sensors.
"We found out the next morning when they opened the dealership at 6 a.m., and the doors to the office were kicked in," Barrett told CBS News Detroit.
Ultimately, the thieves made off with the keys to a high-powered Dodge Charger. The dealership's owner believes the group would have come back to retrieve it.
"They didn't actually enter the building where the Skat Pack was. Another one of our protocols is we figure we aren't going to leave the keys in the same building as the car," Barrett said.
The team wore face masks but one ended up removing theirs to smoke a vape pen. While police investigate, Barrett hopes, that slip-up leads to an arrest. The Dodge Charger is no longer on the property. Now it'll be sold at an auction wholesale.
"Typically what they'll do is just get two keys re-programmed so that the other key wouldn't work," Barrett said.
According to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, vehicle thefts statewide have increased. Over 28,000 were reported in 2023 alone.
"This is very unusual for our area. Obviously, we're disappointed it happened," Barrett said.
The dealership has since beefed up security. All the while no one was hurt nor cars damaged.
