Fort Myers Man Stole Car, Tells Police He Found It
Stupid criminal stories are my favorite and one Fort Myers man definitely fits as he stole a car and told police he found it.
Watching shows like COPS or Night Watch always crack me up. On Patrol: Live is another good one, which is also in Fort Myers, or rather Lee County, right now. The excuses these people give and expect the police to believe them are nothing short of entertaining. And this Florida Man thought he had the perfect answer when police confront him about a stolen vehicle.
Fort Myers Man Stole Car, Tells Police He Found It
Maybe 22 year-old James Comer Jr. didn’t get what he wanted for Christmas, so he decided to take him upon himself to get himself a new, or new-to-him, SUV.
A woman reported to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office that her 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe was stolen from her driveway and security footage shows just that. Police were able to find the vehicle not far from her home and return it. It was only two days later that police saw another SUV, this time a Kia Sportage on McGregor. The officer believed it to be stolen and so he followed the car to a gas station. It was there, he saw Comer and confronted him about the vehicle. It was then, according to NBC2, that he replied “I didn’t steal the car though; I just found it.”
As if that wasn’t enough to get him arrested, when police searched Comer they found three other key fobs, an ID of someone who wasn’t him AND credit cards from the woman who reported her Hyundai stolen.
Comer is now ringing in the new year in jail. He is facing charges for vehicle theft, unlawful possession of identification, petit theft and driving with a suspended license.
I guess the lesson here is: if you “just find” a car, maybe don’t take it.
The Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles In The State of Florida
10. Hyundai Sonata
Hyundai Motor Company shows off a 2019 Sonata Hybrid at the Chicago Auto Show on February 8, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The Hyundai Sonata comes in 10th on the list of most stolen vehicles in Florida. 577 were stolen last year with the most common model year taken being the 2013. This was one of the vehicles documented online on how easy they were to steal. The only surprise it’s that more weren’t stolen,
9. Honda CR-V
(Photo by Alex Edelman/Getty Images)
The Honda CR-V is a very common vehicle here in Florida. 580 were stolen last year with the most common year taken being the 2021. This car is victim of global supply and demand. If your Honda CR-V is stolen, it may end up in a shipping container heading overseas.
8. Dodge Charger
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
This car may rise in popularity now that Dodge is discontinuing the gas powered models. 639 were stolen last year in Florida with the most targeted model year being 2021. This car was targeted after it was shown online that if you broke a window and climbed in you could put the car in neutral and push it down the street. From there it takes thieves about 90 seconds to program a new key FOB and then drive away.
7. Honda Civic
(Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)
772 Honda Civics were stolen last year in Florida. The 2020 model was the favorite. In 2022 a hacker developed a way to remotely unlock and start these cars. Made them waaaaay too easy to steal until that vulnerability was fixed.
6. Toyota Corolla
(Photo by Robert Hradil/Getty Images)
There’s so many Toyota Corollas in Florida it’s no wonder this car made the list. 887 were stolen last year with the 2021 model being the most common.
5. Toyota Camry
(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Like the Corolla, there are a LOT of these cars on the road here in Florida. 989 stolen here in the state and the 2021 model was the one most targeted. Throw an Apple Air Tag in the back for a cheap piece of mind.
4. Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)
(Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Tops in the nation, but 4th on the Florida list. Full size Chevy pickups had 992 reported stolen in Florida last year. The 2021 was the most common. There’s a theory that these trucks are being targeted for their the catalytic converters.
3. Nissan Altima
(Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
Another very common vehicle on the Florida roads, 1,000 Nissan Altimas were reported stolen in Florida last year. The 2015 was the year most swiped. If you have an Altima you need to read up on a “relay attack.”
2. Honda Accord
(Photo by Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images)
Honda Accords were the 2nd most targeted vehicle in Florida last year. 1,003 were taken with the 2021 being the most targeted.
1. Ford Pickup (Full Size)
(Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
And this is where we see the jump. 2,030 Ford pickups were stolen in Florida. The most common being the 2006 model. There are a lot of these trucks here in Southwest Florida, but one of the reasons so many are stolen may seem kind of simple. Some of the models are just too big to fit in the garage. Since the truck is in the driveway it’s very vulnerable to a relay attack.
