By NATE KING
Salina Post
A 17-year-old male from Kansas City was arrested yesterday August 19, after a series of attempted vehicle thefts and one successful vehicle theft in Salina.
Salina Police Department (SPD) Lt. Kyle Tonniges said SPD officers responded to multiple stolen or damaged vehicles, with the targeted vehicles primarily being Kias and Hyundais.
At 3:02 p.m. yesterday, a member of the public reported an abandoned vehicle in the area of Indiana and Iron Avenues. When SPD officers arrived, they discovered a 2015 Kia Optima with a broken rear window and a damaged steering column.
The vehicle was confirmed stolen from the CVS parking lot, and the owner, a 26-year-old Salina man, reported it missing shortly after officers arrived.
"We went to CVS and we were able to get some surveillance video of a possible suspect," Tonniges said.
Later that evening, at 7:17 p.m., SPD officers were called to the 900 block of East Ash for an attempted vehicle theft.
The vehicle owner, a 43-year-old female from Salina, said her 2013 Hyundai Elantra had its rear window broken and steering column punched. Officers found the vehicle in the 100 block of North Kansas Avenue—just around the corner from where it had been parked.
Tonniges said at around 9:08 p.m., officers received a call from a 17-year-old male from Kansas City who claimed he was stranded in Salina after his friends left him during their drive from Denver, Colorado to Kansas City.
"As the officers were speaking to this subject they saw that he resembled the suspect that was on the CVS surveillance videos," Tonniges said. "They started gathering more information and ended up finding a flathead screwdriver in his possession, and then found some clothing in a book bag that matched the clothing from the video."
As police continued to investigate, additional reports of attempted vehicle thefts and damage surfaced:
Officers found a 2015 Hyundai Elantra with a broken rear window at 219 North Santa Fe Avenue.
A 2012 Kia Forte with a broken rear window and damaged steering column was reported in the 200 block of North Columbia Avenue.
A 2012 Hyundai Sonata at Homewood Suites, 115 East Mulberry Street, also had its rear window broken and steering column punched.
Three more vehicles—a 2019 Kia Soul, a 2013 Kia Soul, and a 2014 Hyundai Sonata—were discovered in the parking garage of Salina Regional Health Center at 423 South Santa Fe, all with similar damage.
The 17-year-old unnamed suspect was arrested and is facing multiple charges, including one count of felony theft, seven counts of attempted theft, and eight counts of damage to property.