Man sentenced to 20 years for car thefts
Commonwealth’s Attorney Herb McKee, Jr., announced that on March 14, 2024, a Henderson jury found Lee Stone guilty of numerous charges stemming from a July 13, 2023, incident.
According to a release from McKee, Stone stole a car that had been left running by the victim to keep his black lab cool at a South Green Street store. The victim was in the store for minutes, said the release.
After stealing the car, Stone drove the vehicle into oncoming traffic and struck another driver head-on, totaling both vehicles and causing injuries, said the release.
Stone then stole a second vehicle, this one from a Good Samaritan who had stopped to check on the person injured in the collision, said the release.
The dog was returned to the owner of the first car stolen, said the release.
Stone was sentenced to 20 years in prison. His charges are two counts of theft by unlawful taking of an automobile, theft of unlawful taking (dog), leaving the scene of an accident with injury, fourth-degree assault, possession of marijuana and first-degree persistent felony offender, according to the release.
McKee credited Henderson Police Department for apprehending Stone and investigating the incident.
HPD says five cars stolen in one night last week
The Henderson Police Department made a release last week that it had received reports of at least five stolen vehicles and many other vehicles broken into.
The thefts occurred across the city in multiple locations, and one video shows four male juveniles during the time of the theft, said the theft.
Vehicles that have been stolen in prior months were left unlocked with keys being left in them, but police are now seeing that locked vehicles, such as Hyundai Sonatas and Elantras, are being broken into and being hotwired, said the release.
Police recommend residents who own either of these models to contact a Hyundai dealership to determine if the automaker has any recalls to fix this issue.
Police also recommend parking in a garage, if possible, and removing all valuables from the vehicle overnight, said the release.
Police ask residents to help end car thefts and prowls by locking vehicles, removing the keys and valuable from vehicles and reviewing surveillance footage for any videos of suspects.
