(La Porte County, IN) - Within minutes, a license plate reader helped police capture a suspected La Porte car thief and return the vehicle to its owner.

 

Daquarius Crump, 22, of South Bend is charged with Level 6 Felony Theft in La Porte Circuit Court.

 

According to court documents, a man started his 2013 Chevy Impala to let the engine warm up on February 9 in the 500 block of Talley Street.  The man went back inside his residence and returned about 20 minutes later to discover his car was gone.

 

Immediately, the man called 911.

 

Police said license plate information and description of the car were entered into a data base and soon a license plate reading camera detected the plate on Indiana 39 just north of the city limits. Responding officers located the car outside the nearby Family Express at Indiana 39 and U.S. 20 and stopped the driver identified as Crump in the store parking lot. 

 

According to court documents, Crump explained he was allowed to use the vehicle by a friend to get gasoline and cigarettes.  Crump also said he did not know the car was stolen.

 

Officers, not believing his claims, arrested Crump, whose unidentified girlfriend was also driving a vehicle reported stolen in La Porte County.