RICHMOND, Va. -- Car thefts are skyrocketing in the city of Richmond, but data shows the thieves are rarely getting arrested and prosecuted. Now, one victim, whose vehicle was targeted in back-to-back incidents, is calling on authorities to do more to stop crimes and hold the perpetrators accountable.
Nancye Hunter's car was broken into twice in the secured access parking garage of her apartment building at River's Edge in Manchester.
The first time it happened, the thief actually stole the car.
"The first incident was on December 22. I got a phone call from Chesterfield County at 3:00 in the morning saying that they had recovered my vehicle in Moseley," Hunter recalled.
She said, "I was not only angry that I was having to deal with this situation. I felt violated."
Hunter took her car to the dealership, finally drove it back home a month and a half later, and parked it in the garage.
But the next morning, she discovered it had been targeted once again.
"I found that my car was attempted to be stolen again with the window broken out again and the steering wheel column broken off and the ignition completely destroyed, and the car was rendered inoperable," Hunter said. "I suspect the attempted theft took place within 8 hours of me having the car back."
Richmond Police have not made any arrests in her cases, and Hunter said the department has been unresponsive to her questions and concerns about their investigation.
"Trying to follow up with Richmond PD has been very difficult. They're not returning phone calls, not responding to emails, and it's just concerning," Hunter said.
An Increase in Car Thefts
Like many localities, Richmond is seeing a big rise in auto thefts.
According to data provided by the police department, there were 929 car thefts in 2022.
That increased to 1,578 in 2023.
"The Kia and Hyundai thefts are really what is shooting the numbers up," said Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Colette McEachin in an interview with CBS 6.
Those particular cars made up more than half of last year's cases because police said the designs of Hyundai and Kia cars make them easier to steal.
And if you're wondering what type of car Hunter drives, "Unfortunately, it is a Kia Soul," she said.
Arrests and Convictions
Out of more than 2,500 stolen cars from the past two years, Richmond Police made 216 arrests, according to data provided by the department.
Those 216 arrests led to about 350 charges, according to data provided by McEachin.
So far, those 350 charges have led to 20 convictions.
"To me, that seems like a low number," reporter Tyler Layne said.
"Like a little less than 10%," McEachin responded.
Compared to the total number of auto thefts, it's less than 1%.
"Is that a successful conviction rate?" Layne asked.
"What do you want to be successful?" McEachin said.
"What would you consider to be successful?" Layne asked.
"I would consider to be successful— something that takes into account the harm that the theft has created, and the circumstances of the defendant," McEachin responded. "So, am I going to treat a 16-year-old who steals a car the way I would treat a 35-year-old male who steals a car after he's beat up his girlfriend, and he knows where the keys are, so he takes the car? I'm going to treat those circumstances very differently."
What Happened to the Charges?
McEachin, the city's top prosecutor, said a majority of charges associated with car thefts include grand larceny, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and receiving stolen property.
Off the bat, McEachin said 50% of those 350 charges from the past two years were dropped for a variety of reasons.
For one thing, she said police, who have less to prove than prosecutors, do not consult with her office before bringing charges forward.
"The first time that my office knows about a charge is when we show up in court," McEachin said.
So sometimes, McEachin said there's just not enough evidence to prove the person who was charged actually stole the car.
Many times, McEachin said victims don't want to move forward with a case because their car was recovered or the thief was someone they knew.
"The community needs to decide, and each individual who's the victim has the agency to decide, 'How do I want this case handled? I don't want to go forward with this case, I'm not coming to court, I have a relationship with the person, I'm over being upset, I understand the situation.' It would be wrong for us to force that victim to go through it if that's how they feel when it's not related to any other violence or firearms," McEachin said.
WATCH: McEachin discusses how victims want cases handled
Most notably, McEachin acknowledged that children and teens are involved in a majority of these cases.
That's something Hunter said she was told about her cases, from McEachin herself, when Hunter approached her at a recent event.
"Colette McEachin—When I spoke to her directly about the incident, almost anybody that I've run across that's been in a position of authority where I've explained to them what's happened, that's just the one answer that comes across every single time-- 'It's just kids,'" Hunter said.
While McEachin said she didn't recall that exact exchange, she said it's important to explain to victims that the nature of juvenile court is not to punish, but to educate and rehabilitate.
"If it's a juvenile, the juvenile's not going to go to jail. It's just not going to happen. And because the person is a juvenile, they don't have any money, so you're probably not going to get restitution," McEachin said. "One of the jobs of all the prosecutors in this office is to let victims and witnesses know, realistically, what will happen with your case-- not to promise the moon."
WATCH: McEachin discusses charges against juveniles
119 of the 350 charges involved either a juvenile or someone in a domestic relationship, McEachin said.
An additional 100 charges are still pending in court.
More than $4,500 later in out-of-pocket costs for rental cars and repairs, Hunter said she just wants these crimes to stop happening.
"It's a cop-out. I don't care if it's just kids. I don't care if it's older people. They need to do something to make this stop. It's not fair to the residents of Richmond," Hunter said. “All anybody wants to know is that the authorities are trying, that they're out there doing their best and they are trying to do something. We don't want to be left feeling like we've been dismissed and that we don't matter. This hurts people's lives, it hurts the average person's life.”
Hunter continued, "As long as the thefts are occurring, it doesn't seem like there are any deterrence in place or that arrests are being made or that consequences are being had."
McEachin said she understood the frustrations of victims who want accountability as well as the victims who prefer to keep their case out of court.
Her advice to the community? "Lock your damn car."
Of note, McEachin's office can only prosecute defendants who are caught by the police in the first place.
Richmond Police did not answer questions about whether the understaffed department has enough resources to handle an increased volume of cases.
Police also declined to be interviewed about their process for investigating car thefts, but in a statement, a department spokesperson said all precincts have property crime detectives who investigate and work with the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.
CBS 6 collected data from surrounding law enforcement agencies, most of which are also experiencing an uptick in car thefts, and will analyze those statistics as we continue reporting on this issue.
Was your car stolen or broken into? Have any tips, concerns, or input? Send an email to tyler.layne@wtvr.com.
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