SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - The recipe for having your car stolen? Leave it running and unlocked.
Officer Sam Clemens says a 13-year-old Sioux Falls girl is accused of stealing three cars last night, the last one she crashed.
Clemens says a witness to the crash called police and they found two girls not far from the accident site. One of the girls had the keys to the other two stolen cars and told officers where they were parked. The cars were returned to their owners and the third one was damaged in the crash.
He says one car was stolen from the downtown library, another at 41st and Minnesota and the third in a central Sioux Falls neighborhood.
Clemens says a second 13-year-old girl was an accomplice in the last heist. Both are charged with grand theft and hit and run.
Clemens the solution is simple.
Lock your car if you plan on leaving it running. He says that might mean getting a second set of keys, installing a remote start or, if you walk away from your running car, stay in visual contact and if someone tries to take it you might scare them off.
He says the best bet is not to leave your car running alone because some car thieves will break a window to gain entry.