For one Oklahoma driver, an ordinary night turned into a costly ordeal. A Norman woman says she went to bed with a paid-off car and woke up without one. The vehicle had been taken from outside her home while she slept. What followed was a stretch of uncertainty and, eventually, a damaged car she could no longer use.
Haley Hawk described the moment she realized what had happened. On the morning of May 11th, she spent time searching before accepting that her Kia Forte had been stolen from outside her apartment complex. She said it was a scenario she had worried about before. With no car, she immediately started looking for a way to get to work while waiting for answers.
The answers came a couple of days later. Two days after the theft, Hawk received a call from police about her vehicle. When she went to see the Kia, she found it in shambles. The front part was completely gone, and the back was also badly smashed, leaving a car that barely resembled the one she had lost.
Police described how the car met its end. Norman police say an officer spotted the Kia speeding near Lake Thunderbird. The driver refused to stop and then crashed the vehicle. The pursuit and collision left the Forte destroyed and brought the brief but damaging episode to a close.
The case also drew attention to a wider vulnerability. Oklahoma City police have previously warned that some Kia models are easier to steal because they do not have a certain security feature, an immobilizer, designed to prevent theft. Hawk believes thieves used a method that has been widely publicized online to take the car. Officers also reminded drivers that simple steps, from steering wheel locks to parking in well-lit areas, can make a vehicle less appealing to thieves.
The theft ended with arrests but a lasting cost for the owner. Norman police arrested two 18-year-olds in the case, and the driver faces charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle, eluding police and driving under the influence. Hawk said the loss left her with a loan despite having paid off her original car. Now driving a Subaru, she said she researched which vehicles are less likely to be stolen before her next purchase and hopes her experience encourages others to do the same.