A second chance has been given to more than four dozen teenagers, and now even more are getting a shot at turning their lives around.
Last summer, the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court rolled out a pilot program for young suspected car thieves who are not involved in violent crimes like carjackings.
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New numbers from Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court show it is a success. But it hasn’t stopped the stolen car trend.
Business isn’t slow for Anthony Hodel.
He showed News 5 Investigators one of the most recent cars that came into the shop.
"This isn’t a full column replacement, it's just plastic but still expensive,” Hodel said.
Hodel runs Cleveland Auto Body on Cedar Avenue.
News 5 Investigators first met Hodel in December 2022 when Kia and Hyundai parts had a six-month backorder.
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“It’s gotten a little bit better for us,” Hodel said.
But Hodel is still fixing Kias, like the one on his lot. He says thieves tried to steal from its owner by going through a window and peeling the steering wheel column.
Last July, the court launched the home monitoring pilot program in partnership with the prosecutor’s office and Cleveland police to reduce car thefts.
Police said many involved teenagers.
In the program, kids are sent home with ankle monitors and told where they can and cannot go.
The goal is to keep teens from stealing cars again.
“If you’re going to do something wrong, you’d kind of want to hide it but it’s a different world we live in. I don't understand it; you know we love business, but I don’t like it at that expense,” Hodel said.
In the first month of the program, five teens became eligible.
Teens in carjackings are considered for juvenile detention while their case is pending.
"It is to attend school, follow the rules, be where you're supposed to be,” said Deputy Court Administrator Bridget Gibbons last October.
In its first year, according to the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court, 52 teens have been in the program.
The success rate is 85%.
Gibbons said in a statement that the Court began the car theft program after holding a focus group with law enforcement officers and leadership at the Cleveland Division of Police. After a year of success with the program, the court has expanded county-wide. The court is satisfied with the outcomes of the program and will continue to monitor its success.
We asked Hodel if he thought the program was helpful.
“They deserve a chance, absolutely, if it’s nonviolent. I mean there is a victim, it's unfortunate, but where are the parents?” said Hodel.
Recent data shows the number of cars reported stolen in Cleveland is down nearly 24% compared to the first five months of last year.
“Hopefully that program converts some kids and maybe that event changes their life and they have a better outcome in the end with that tragedy,” Hodel said.
There are twelve teenagers currently in the program.
Some didn’t find success.
Six were considered AWOL, and of those, four picked up a new offense.
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