Cadillac found after doughnut reward offered

RICHMOND -- A stolen white 2004 Cadillac CTS was recovered Tuesday afternoon.

It's still unclear who might receive the reward of 25 dozen doughnuts.

That's the reward being offered by J.C. Price, owner of Square Donuts in Richmond. The vehicle was stolen from Price's home in the 1300 block of Woodland Trail Drive sometime in the early hours of Monday.

Price reported the vehicle stolen at about 5 a.m., then later posted the offer of a reward on Facebook — 25 dozen doughnuts for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible.

"We wanted to have some fun with it and make it a positive," Price said of the reward offer. "If this gets out and people have fun with it, it's worth it. The car is one thing, but I hate the fact people think they can get away with it. If this gets out in the public, that's perfect, I'll do it every time."

The post on the Square Donuts of Richmond page on Facebook had nearly 40,000 views by 5 p.m. Monday. Price, who said social media is a big part of the business, had received tips the car was seen at the Richmond Treatment Center, at Arbor Trace and in Union City, Ind.

"Anything will help," Richmond Police Department Sgt. Mike Britt said of the reward offer. "Maybe it will be enough incentive for someone to call in what they know."

Britt said the car could have been stolen by the same individual or individuals responsible for a number of vehicle break-ins in the Oak Park area during the night. The keys were in the Cadillac's ignition, Britt said.

"There were numerous cars in the neighborhood that had been gone through," Britt said. "There were unlocked vehicles they had gone through and they hit the jackpot — a Caddie with keys."

Tiffany Hester also reported a vehicle that was stolen overnight, a 2007 black GMC Yukon from the 3700 block of Sandbridge Drive. The vehicle had been broken into Saturday, Britt said, and a spare key might have been taken at that time.

Britt said investigators were processing two recovered stolen vehicles Monday, searching for clues. Recent stolen vehicles, he said, have averaged being gone a day and a half or two days before officers find them abandoned.

The stolen vehicles are part of a recent string of break-ins in the city, and three juvenile males were arrested early Monday morning and charged with theft from a vehicle.

The arrests occurred after RPD officers responded to complaints of thefts from vehicles at about 3:30 a.m. Monday in the 200 block of Randolph Street, Britt said. Responding officers saw males who matched the reported perpetrators' descriptions crossing North West Fifth Street, and the juveniles were found with $3 in stolen quarters.

RPD investigators now are checking to see if that trio is involved in other crimes. One of the juveniles had been recognized last week in another incident, Britt said.

The two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old all face Class A misdemeanor charges of theft from a vehicle, according to Britt, and they were released to their parents.

"With all the vehicle thefts, they could be driving around (in stolen cars) getting into other vehicles," Britt said. The vehicles can then be dumped and the perpetrators walk away, he said.

Britt said many of the vehicle thefts and vehicle break-ins have targeted unlocked vehicles.

"They don't appear to be forcing their way in," he said. "Lock the door and don't leave your keys."

Anyone with information about any of the cases should call RPD at (765) 983-7247.