I helped catch a thief today!

So today I was at the ward playgroup at a park. I parked my car across a field from the playground where I always park. About 2 hours in the play group we see police officers on horses so we take all the kids over there to pet the horses. We asked if they were training and they said “No, we’re patrolling the area.” It didn’t dawn on me that they were patrolling the area for a reason. Anyway the officers were super nice and waited while each kid had a turn. Then we go back to the playground. My friend Melanie caught my attention and told me to look by our cars. Sure enough I look across the field and there are the officers and one of them actually has a notepad out and is writing my license plate number down. So I run across the field as Ashton bumps up and down because I’m wearing him in a backpack on my chest.

The officer sees me and starts to say something but I’m still too far away to hear him so as soon as I get close enough I say, “Am I not allowed to park here?” He didn’t respond and asked pointing to my car if it is mine. I say yes and look at the car sure enough my back window is broken. I couldn’t believe it… actually I could because two weeks ago at playgroup I saw a guy looking in my car windows. You would think I would have learned my lesson to not leave my diaper bag in the car with my wallet and my cell.

So the officer starts to write down my information and told me that they were actually patrolling the area because there has been repeated car break ins and they are trying to catch the guy. They said that a woman had driven by and saw a guy breaking into my car so she drove to where she saw the cops. The cops (still on horses mind you) went over as fast as they could and just barely saw the little blue corolla driving off.

So the cop says you better borrow a cell phone and start canceling your credit cards. So I borrow my friend Chrissy’s cell phone and call Wells Fargo. They cancelled my checking account and then transfer me to the credit card department and I asked if any charges had already been made. They said yes there was a $130 charge to a grocery store just 5 minutes before. So the officer radioed in and got officers out there but they had already left. So we were all bummed that we almost could have caught them.

I asked the officer if there was anything else he wanted me to ask Wells Fargo he says no so I tell the Wells Fargo guy I’m done and he says “Thank you for choosing Wells WAIT THERE IS ANOTHER CHARGE RIGHT NOW!” So he tells me it’s at the 7-11 and the officers radio in and I kid you not within 5 minutes they tell me they have the guy and are arresting him! Then they tell me they have my black Eddie Bauer diaper bag!
Chrissy’s daughter who I adore gave me a hug and said “My prayer worked.” It was the sweetest thing ever.

I’ve never seen 2 police officers so happy. They told me that to follow them to the station and they’d make sure I could get my bag right back. So I pull Ashton out of the baby bjorn and he has pooped all over me and himself just to give you a mental image of how the day is going. Anyway Chrissy being wonderful took Ashton in her car and followed me with her kids because I didn’t want glass blowing around him. My favorite image of the day was when the 2 police officers were trotting towards their car and giving each other a high-5. It was straight out of the movies!
We got to the station and right away in the parking lot the investigator brings me my bag with my cell but that I need to go inside to see if they have me wallet. We walk into the police station which is just like on TV with a couple dozen desks just like on the movies. Then they sat me down at a desk and dumped out a purse of cards, pictures, cash basically anything you can imagine out of a wallet. It made me realize what a rare case it is that I got all my stuff back right away. I really am the one in a million break-in cases. I picked out all of my stuff down to my Articles of Faith card I had in my wallet. They also told me they had the guy in the questioning room across the hall and he was fessing up to it all. But it was so funny to be surrounded by 10 police officers getting so excited that they caught this punk.

What a cool day. There are guys out in our parking garage replacing my window. Oh and the good news is that Geico said because the police caught the guy they can go after him to pay me back my deductible!
I have a new found respect for the Dallas PD!

So by the time David gets home at 6 it will be like nothing ever happened. I took pictures just so he knows I’m not making it all up!