Ohio has enacted a law that treats possession of devices capable of helping someone break into or steal a vehicle as a felony, according to WHIO-TV. The charge can be brought once investigators establish intent, the station reported.
Dayton Police Chief Eric Henderson, who spoke with News Center 7's Amber Jenkins, described a device only slightly larger than a phone that is used in vehicle thefts. Henderson told the station that one recovered device was documented in connection with 76 stolen vehicles, and he said proving intent remains part of the process while the criminal-tools statute is strengthened.
Dayton police arrested a 20-year-old man found in a stolen vehicle, and investigators said he used the red device, per the report. Officers testified at the statehouse about the opportunities such tools create, the station reported.
Henderson said such thefts can affect an owner for months or years, and he said the city is on pace for 1,400 reports. Sarah Ran, who lives in Montgomery County, told WHIO-TV she has noticed more auto thefts in her neighborhood and county, and has added GPS, precautions and AI security cameras at her home.
WHIO-TV also reported two recent crashes: last month a man stole a car and then a Dayton cruiser before hitting a home on Greenway Street, and this week a Kia taken from Moraine crashed on Hoover Avenue.