Richmond police warns drivers to lock cars after dog stolen from parking lot

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- It's a nightmare for a Central Virginia family and their furry companion.

At around 7:40 Tuesday night, Chesterfield Police say a woman parked her 2001 Nissan Sentra at a Wawa located in the 7500 block of Midlothian Turnpike.

While she was inside the store, someone got into her car and drove away.

Her purse and her dog, 14-year-old Jellybean, were in the car when it was stolen.

Jellybean's family

According to Richmond Police, the stolen vehicle was located in the 4900 block of Old Brook Road Wednesday night. Two individuals were detained, and the driver, 20-year-old Justin Brown, was charged with possession of stolen property.

A dog was not recovered from the stolen vehicle.

According to Chesterfield Police, the victim left her key in the car and the car was unlocked at the time of the incident.

"It doesn't surprise me," said Lieutenant William Phibbs with Richmond Police.

WTVR

Phibbs said the trend gets worse as the weather gets warmer.

"People running to convenience stores. I'm going to leave my car running, have my air conditioning going, and they come back out of the store and they see their car driving away," Phibbs said.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a vehicle is stolen almost every 32 seconds in the United States.

Lieutenant Phibbs said just taking 15 seconds to make sure you have your keys with you and your car is locked, no matter how long you're going to be away from it, can save you from stress.

"All these crimes are 100% preventable," Phibbs said. "It just means you have to slow up a little bit, think about what you're doing, and be present in the moment."

Luckily, Jellybean, who was inside the car when it was stolen, was found and reunited with her family.

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