OKEECHOBEE — In the early hours of Monday morning, May 7, a woman heard a loud noise and called law enforcement regarding an unoccupied and still running vehicle she had found in her back yard.
According to an incident report by Deputy Devon Satallante, of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), at 3:57 a.m. on May 7, he responded to the 1700 block of Northwest 46th Terrace in regard to a stolen vehicle recovery.
Deputy Satallante met with the complainant who reportedly informed him that at approximately 3:55 a.m. she heard a loud bang from outside of her home and when she walked outside to investigate found an unoccupied blue 2004 Honda Civic in her backyard.
Deputy Satallante reported that as he approached the vehicle he noticed it had been involved in a crash as the vehicle had apparently sustained heavy damage to the front and was missing the rear bumper. The vehicle reportedly did not have a tag and Deputy Satallante requested that dispatch run the vehicle’s identification number and found that it was reported stolen out of Melbourne. The vehicle, while found unoccupied, still had the keys in the ignition with the engine running.
The report concluded that photographs of the vehicle and the property where it was located were taken and submitted into evidence. The vehicle was inventoried, removed from the scene and held in a tow yard by John’s Towing Service until further processing and recovery of the vehicle can be completed. There was no property damage other than the culvert located at the 4600 block of Northwest 18th Street, where the vehicle appeared to have left the roadway and made its final rest, approximately 50 feet from the road in the complainant’s back yard.