Observant neighbor stops string of car thefts

An observant neighbor put the brakes on a string of car thefts spread throughout Hamilton, Boone and Marion counties.

38-year-old Andrew Prairie was arrested on the 12300 block of Carriage Stone Drive, just south of 126th Street and Brooks School Road in Fishers, in the early morning hours of September 18.

Jeremy Kleven lives nearby, and saw what he thought was suspicious behavior that night.

“I witnessed this van pull in,” said Kleven. “He seemed hesitant with his engine. He stopped at the corner house, and turned off his lights and vehicle and ran up, and tried to see if the doors were unlocked.”

Then it happened again.

“He drove up and did the exact same thing to the next house, and so on, and on the third one, he went to the backyard,” added Kleven.

That's when he called police.

Fishers Police caught up with Prairie just down the street. He was sitting in a car in a driveway there, the seat was reclined, and his eyes were closed.

Police say Prairie at first made up a story about why he was there. Police then found numerous items in his pockets,including gift cards and key fobs. They later found purses and credit cards among other miscellaneous items in his van.

“Our investigators have been able to clear twelve cases because of this arrest,” said Officer Tom Weger, with the Fishers Police Department. “This arrest is credited to the alert homeowner that recognized suspicious activity and then called 911 immediately.”

“It was just luck, I guess, being there at the right time,” added Kleven.

Weger says the car thefts occurred over the past month.

Prairie is now in the Hamilton County Jail, facing felony charges.

Police say it's always worth the reminder: don't leave anything of value in your cars.

Don’t get complacent: and make sure you lock your car doors, even if you know everyone in the neighborhood, because you never know who may be stopping through.