Police investigating after cars stolen outside two Leawood church parking lots

LEAWOOD, Kan. – Two church parking lots were hit by thieves and Leawood police said they’re looking for more than one suspect in these cases.

Investigators said the thieves stole cars from church parking lots, while parishioners were inside during services.

One theft happened this past Sunday. Leawood police said thieves stole a car while it was parked at Cure of Ars and the Sunday before that, the same thing happened at Nativity.

“We’re just scared,” Carolina Shank said. “We saw cops and then we got pretty worried.”

Shank is a parishioner at Cure of Ars and that’s where her kids go to school. Last Sunday, they saw police lights in the parking lot.

“This is not something we typically see here in Johnson County, so you worry a lot, you worry for your safety, your kids, for the whole community,” Shank said. “So, it’s scary.”

Leawood police said a thief stole someone’s car.

They said the victim got to the church just before 10:45 a.m. Sunday, an hour later, the 2016 Hyundai Tucson was gone.

Police said a week prior, on Sunday, Sept. 8, a thief stole 2012 Hyundai Sonata at the Church of the Nativity.

“It was just in the main church parking lot there,” Community Outreach Officer Cody Morse said.
He said at this point, there’s no evidence the thefts are connected.

Police recovered the vehicle stolen from Nativity. It was found in Kansas City, Missouri.

Now, they’re looking for the suspect. Morse said investigators believe it’s a man in his early 20’s.
Morse said the suspect used credit cards he found inside the car he stole. Police shared a picture of the suspect snapped by the surveillance cameras.

He said both victims locked their cars before the thefts happened.

“The overwhelming majority of these cases that we’re seeing are often still unlocked cars or valuables left in plain sight, although that is not the case in these two cases,” Morse said. “Both the victims still have keys to those vehicles, and we didn’t find any broken glass on the ground or anything.”

Shank said Cure of Ars School sent a letter to parents, encouraging families to stay vigilant and lock vehicles.

“Our hope is that these victims can feel safe and that the thieves stop doing this,” Morse said.

Leawood police offer free steering wheel locks if you’re looking for an extra layer of protection.

If you have any information about these crimes, call Leawood police or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.

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