Pictures of customers happily posing with newly purchased cars and trucks long have packed the Facebook page of a Loveland dealership.
But a picture of another sort recently struck a sour note on Queen City Motors’ page.
It shows a 2011 brown and gold Dodge Ram 2500 that was stolen from the dealership’s lot early Jan. 20.
No one is smiling.
“Attention loveland ohio,” Queen City Motors co-owner Chris Creighton said in a Facebook post later that day, when he offered a $2,000 reward for information about the whereabouts of the truck.
The truck was stolen from the family’s used-vehicles business at 421 Loveland Madeira Road between 3 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., the post states. And the person a security camera caught spending 10 minutes to start the truck without a key was no customer.
“So sorry to hear this,” a South Lebanon woman responded on the Facebook page. “People got a nerve.”
Loveland police have yet to respond to messages from The Enquirer seeking comment.
However, police told Enquirer media partner Fox19 vehicle thefts have been on the rise in the region and that brazen juveniles are increasingly involved.
Lt. Kevin Corbett said officers are responding with increased patrols and have provided measures to increase security for Queen City Motors and other dealerships, including cables around the businesses and strategic parking in the dealerships’ vicinities, the station reported.
Rod Creighton, co-owner of Queen City Motors, said he doesn’t believe the thieves are juveniles, adding that surveillance footage from the dealership caught the suspects walking into a neighboring bar.
“These guys are professionals,” Creighton said.
He said four trucks have been stolen from the family dealership’s lot in the last 2 years, adding that the business has lost roughly $75,000 as a result of the thefts. Creighton said the dealership was able to claim insurance on the first two trucks, but it was unable to make a claim on the most recent thefts as the insurance company threatened to cancel their policy.
The dealership is now implementing anti-theft measures in addition to security cameras including motion detectors, wheel locks and GPS, Creighton said.
Creighton said he’s been in the car businesses for over 50 years. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” he added.
He said the dealership is now offering a $5,000 reward: $2,500 for information leading to the truck’s return and another $2,500 for a successful conviction. The dealership is also considering setting up a Facebook page to collect donations that will be put toward additional reward money.
“We just want our truck back,” Creighton said.
Loveland police said on their Facebook page that a white van may have been involved in the theft of the Dodge Ram from Queen City Motors and anyone with information is asked to call them at 513-583-3000.
Queen City Motors’ website says the dealership has served the community for more than 30 years.
Its Facebook page says it is excited to announce a development the business likely would far prefer to have made the news: Queen City Motors is expanding to the West Side. It is opening a second location soon at 10264 Harrison Ave. in Harrison.
Clinton Mora is a reporter for Trending Insurance News. He has previously worked for the Forbes. As a contributor to Trending Insurance News, Clinton covers emerging a wide range of property and casualty insurance related stories.