LAWRENCEBURG, Tenn. (WKRN) — Three expensive vehicles that were stolen in one of Lawrenceburg's biggest auto theft cases have been recovered.
The theft happened in March 2024. News 2 obtained video that showed alleged thieves using a crowbar to break into an office at Heritage Automotive Dealership. The alleged thieves then went through filing cabinets, taking keys and dealer tags.
The video also showed them backing a 2024 Corvette Z06 out of the showroom. That particular sports car is valued at more than $100,000. A 2024 GMC Sierra HD 2500 Denali and a 2022 GMC Yukon were also taken from the lot. Detectives told News 2 that the value of all three vehicles totaled nearly $300,000.
"That was a big deal," detective Jeff Renfro with the Lawrenceburg Police Department said. "That was the first time we've ever had anything of that nature and that high."
Police tracked the Corvette to Birmingham, Alabama, but the car vanished from their radar when thieves disconnected the vehicle's OnStar.
Months passed before detectives got a break in the case. Then, a Birmingham patrolman who was familiar with the case stopped the stolen red Corvette. According to investigators, the driver of the car thought he was being pulled over because the vehicle had temporary dealer tags.
The driver told the officer that he had legitimately purchased the Corvette from a person via Facebook Marketplace. Detectives told News 2 that the VIN on the Corvette's dash and door had been changed, but a check of the Corvette's internal computer still registered the car as the sports car stolen out of Lawrenceburg.
Police seized the car and it was returned to the insurance company, which had paid the dealership for the loss. Detectives added that the man who thought he had legitimately purchased the Corvette is the real loser.
Renfro had some words of advice for people who buy cars on Facebook Marketplace.
"Be sure who you are buying from. Marketplace is not a good place to be buying cars from people, especially if you don't know them," Renfro said. "There are so many fake profiles out there selling stuff — not just cars. They sell everything on fake profiles. They take your money and run."
Police also told News 2 that the other vehicles taken in the heist were recovered. Nobody is in jail for this crime.