CLEVELAND — A 79-year-old woman is now questioning whether she can go back to church after her truck was stolen. Police were able to recover the vehicle, but the suspect remains at large.
It’s a moment Carol Plata still can’t wrap her head around.
"Every time I talk about it, I just tremble all over,” said Plata.
It happened on Sunday around 1:30 p.m. The 79-year-old was leaving Jones Road Church and walking back to her truck when a man approached her.
"He went to the door. He said, ‘Give me your keys.’ And I said, ‘What?’ And he said, ‘Give me your keys,’ and he just took them right off my neck,” Plata said.
Plata says the man grabbed her by the arm, pushed her aside, jumped into the truck, and drove off.
"I was pounding on the window — ‘Give me my keys!’ — and I’m screaming. Oh my God, I was frantic,” she said.
In a matter of seconds, her white 2008 GMC Sierra was gone. Cleveland police were called and immediately began investigating.
"Within 10 to 15 minutes after the incident, the vehicle was located a short distance away, parked and unoccupied,” said Sergeant Freddy Diaz, Public Information Officer for Cleveland Police.
The truck was found without damage, but the suspect had already fled.
"We haven’t made an arrest. This is part of the ongoing investigation as we utilize the evidence and information we have to hopefully identify this individual as soon as we can,” said Diaz.
Given recent car break-ins at churches across Cleveland, we asked Sergeant Diaz whether police are also seeing car thefts like this one.
"Not necessarily. This is the first one I’ve heard of in a while, which is a good thing. Even car break-ins have decreased tremendously,” Diaz said.
For Plata, that truck is more than just a vehicle. She’s retired and has owned it since 2010.
"It meant a lot. I’m moving some stuff over to my other house. And I needed that truck. I need it for moving, and now I get that all moved,” said Plata.
Now, she’s questioning whether she feels safe going back to church.
"Though I don't know. I'm kind of scared, yeah, but they said they're going to have someone from the church walking person,” said Plata.
She just wants her truck returned in good shape.
"As long as it’s in one piece, but they might strip you don’t know what they will do,” said Plata.
Although the truck was found, the suspect is still at large. Police are asking anyone with information to contact Cleveland Police.
Before Plata can get her truck back, it must go through police processing — a process that could take several days.
