By Becky Long
Publisher
Two vehicles were reported stolen from the Jacky Jones Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram lot in Hayesville on the morning of July 13. The vehicles have since been recovered and four Charlotte, N.C. men face multiple charges in connection to the thefts.
The men, between the ages of 17 and 21, fled Clay County in a 2021 Dodge Durango Hellcat and a 2021 Ram 1500 TRX stolen from the dealership, according to Clay County Sheriff Mark Buchanan.
Dealership owner Ed Ashe said the Hellcat and the TRX are worth about $100,000 each. “They’re expensive vehicles,” he said. “The Hellcat was clocked at 156 miles per hour in the chase and the truck is about the same way.”
Ashe has been frustrated about the ongoing problem of car theft at Jacky Jones. He said the dealership has been struck five times in the past two years and those thefts involved about 10 cars.
In the past Ashe had to contend with thieves breaking into the interior of the dealership to steal keys; however, in recent years thieves have become more sophisticated.
Buchanan explained that two of the suspects entered separate vehicles on the lot by breaking a side glass window. They used a computer tablet consistent with what a professional locksmith would use to access the vehicles’ onboard computers. After cloning the vehicles’ ignition settings, the offenders fled the area.
The missing Hellcat and TRX were reported after Ashe and employees arrived at work that morning and found broken glass on the lot.
When Sheriff’s Corporal Shane Mull began his initial investigation he found that three of the suspects had been dropped off at Jacky Jones dealership around 4 a.m. from a white Honda Accord which stayed in the area acting as a lookout, according to Buchanan.
As the investigation began to unfold, Clay County Sheriff’s investigators used regional and multi-state communication data to track the suspects. Ashe also had Lojacks installed in the vehicles which is a tracking system integrated with law enforcement.
Buchanan said leads indicated that the offenders fled to Georgia and on to South Carolina. During this tracking operation, investigators continually relayed the offender’s location data to various jurisdictions the suspects were approaching.
The Durango fled from agencies in Spartanburg and York Counties in South Carolina, reaching speeds of 156 mph. As the vehicles neared the North Carolina state line, investigators contacted the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police.
“The vehicles entered North Carolina and then changed course and went back into South Carolina where they parked the Ram 1500. The driver got into the Durango with two of the other offenders,” said Buchanan.
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police had their helicopter up and were following the Durango. The suspects drove the Durango to a parking garage near Charlotte Douglas International Airport where they abandoned it. The three suspects got into the white Honda Accord and they began to leave the area, but the Charlotte Police were waiting for them. The four suspects were taken into custody and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle by Charlotte Police and served with multiple arrest warrants from Clay County.
Both the Hellcat and TRX have been returned, albeit damaged, to the dealership. Ashe said the truck’s window was broke, the dash had been torn out and the right fender damaged, among other issues.
“It’s sad that a 17 year old is doing that,” said Ashe referring to the juvenile suspect. “They’re kids, but that’s what they do, they hire kids to go out and steal. I’ve tried everything I can, more security, I’ve even thought of hiring a night security guard, but you hate to have to do that. This is Clay County, that kind of thing is not supposed to happen here.”
Ashe asked that anyone who sees suspicious activity at Jacky Jones to call the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
He also expressed appreciation to the sheriff’s office. “They did a good job,” he said. “They wrapped it up quick.”
Buchanan also expressed appreciation to his investigators.
“I am beyond proud of the hard work and determination of all of our officers that worked this case from the minute the vehicles were found to have been stolen,” he said. “ These were the second and third such high-end vehicles that have been stolen from this dealership in just a few months by sophisticated thieves from the Charlotte area. I can’t help but believe that word must be going around with these Charlotte group of thieves that there are easier vehicles to get away with stealing than from Clay County, N.C.”
Arrested in the auto theft case were:
• Charlie-Quick Irvin Henderson an 18-year old male of Charlotte was charged with two counts of larceny of a motor vehicle.
• Jaylen Issac Hall a 20-year old male of Charlotte was charged with two counts of larceny of a motor vehicle, one count of breaking and entering a vehicle and one count of chop shop activity.
• Isaac Woodson 21-year-old male of Charlotte was charge with two counts of larceny of a motor vehicle, 2 counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle and 1 count of chop shop activity.
• The fourth offender is a 17-year old juvenile from Charlotte and will be charged in the juvenile system with two counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle.