Monday, June 24th 2013, 9:37 pm
A metro woman walks out of her apartment on her way to work, only to find she no longer has a way to get there. Turns out, her apartment complex has been a hot spot for vehicle thefts in just the past six months.
Oklahoma City police say since the beginning of this year, nine vehicles have been stolen off the property. But, police also point out, that's not an unusual number for an apartment complex this size.
"She barely had it a week," said Eva Marion, "Now, she's back to finding rides."
Twenty-year-old Melanie Hutson was excited about finally getting reliable transportation. Melanie's first and only car has been a green 1999 Ford Taurus, which she says overheats.
"I mean, it lasted me about a year, but it just kind of went kaput and started overheating," said Hutson.
Just a week ago, her 24-year-old sister bought Melanie a red 2000 Honda Civic.
"A couple of days after the tornado, she was like, I want to buy you a car," said Hutson. "She was like, I want to do what I can for you since I thought I lost you for a second, and she knew I was struggling."
But early Saturday morning, she says a thief took the Honda right off the parking lot as she was headed to work in Moore.
"We went to my friend's house, and we got back around midnight and we went straight to bed. My roommate and I wake up to go to work at 9:00 the next morning, and it's gone," said Hutson.
"You know, it's the struggles that people face every day, but when it happens to your own, it just kind of hits a little closer to home," said Melanie's mother, Eva.
Melanie believes her car was stolen early Saturday morning between midnight and 1:30.
"I'm assuming the person knew, like was either following me, or knew something, because to happen within that time period was kind of strange," said Hutson.
Police say in the last six months, 12 vehicles have also been broken into at the apartment complex. Of course, Melanie hopes her Honda Civic is returned in one piece.
If you have any information on the theft, call Crime Stoppers at (405)-235-7300.
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