BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WTVF) — Bowling Green Police are looking for at least eight individuals who were involved in stealing eight brand-new Corvettes from the GM Assembly Plant. The cars may have been gone forever, if it wasn't for a few Good Samaritans who spoke up when something didn't seem right.
"This car is stolen."
On March 22, Joevelyn Long and her sister, Sue Nalley, certainly noticed when a brand new Corvette, in torch red, parked near Joevelyn's apartment.
"I was kind of watching out this window for her to pick me up. And I noticed this guy backed this new ‘Vette up in the parking space here," said Long.
But the car was so new, they got a little suspicious.
"There was no dealer tags or nothing like that on it," said Long.
"I told her. I said Jo, 'This car is stolen,'" said Nalley.
Nalley called the Warren County Sheriff's Office and reported the suspicious car. When deputies came out, they discovered not only was the red Corvette stolen, but there was a second one on the other side of the apartment complex. Both were taken straight off a back lot at the GM Assembly Plant across town.
"This was a well-planned heist," said Long.
Finding more cars
It turns out, GM was missing more than just those two Corvettes. Later the same morning, Bowling Green Police got a call from a car transportation driver. "He is a person who does transporting for autos. He had gotten a call to meet someone to transport a car from there, and when he arrived, there were three," said Ronnie Ward, a spokesperson for Bowling Green Police Department. "The person that had hired him was in a hurry, and they were trying to rush him along. He thought all of this was suspicious and called police."
That call led them to discover three more Corvettes that were in the process of being taken to Detroit. When BGPD arrived to the Lowe's parking lot, the suspect, Deante Walker, refused to cooperate and led officers on a wild chase on foot. Walker eventually tripped, allowing the officer to put handcuffs on him.
Later, Walker told jail staff, "If I would have made it back to Michigan, I would have been paid big," according to the police report.
Eventually, investigators were able to find two more Corvettes at yet another apartment complex. In all, eight Corvettes were stolen from the assembly plant.
"We valued it at about $1.2 million for all of the cars," said Ward.
How did they do it?
So, how did the group steal that many cars without being noticed by security? Investigators believe the thieves cut a hole in the plant's fence — one big enough to drive all eight cars off the lot.
"We found some video evidence that showed all eight cars leaving at the same time," said Ward.
That means, at least eight people were involved in the heist. So far, only Walker has been arrested. According to BGPD, he has not been helpful in apprehending the other individuals believed to be involved.
Profound thanks
"$1.2 million. Golly, that’s a lot of money. That’s a lot of cars," said Long.
Joevelyn and Sue can now brag that their tip likely stopped this from being the perfect crime.
"[The GM Plant manager] said they wouldn’t have known anything if we hadn’t made the call," said Long. "That’s just the way we were brought up, you know? You’re honest about things."
"Maybe I helped somebody, I hope so anyway," said Nalley.
The sisters did get a visit from GM's Bowling Green plant manager, giving his profound thanks for helping them recover the call.
GM declined to interview for this story, but did send us this statement:
"We could not ask for better law enforcement partners and remain grateful for the service that they provide to this area. Not only are they incredible partners, but we consider them friends. There's also something to be said about being part of a community of people and businesses that take action when they notice something out of place. The recovery of the Corvettes was a true community effort, and I continue to be grateful to be able to live and work in Bowling Green."
If you have any information that could help Bowling Green Police capture the others involved in the heist, you're urged to call 866-842-CLUE.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
The line ''see something, say something" took on new meaning recently in Bowling Green. Two alert neighbors helped tip police to stolen Corvettes from the nearby assembly plant. That led law enforcement to find 8 stolen Corvettes worth over $1 million. We may all be able to learn a little lesson from this.
-Lelan Statom
