By MARGIE TRAX PAGE
Staff Writer
mtrax@starbeacon.com
GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE - - A village police officer used common sense and his police training over the weekend in the recovery of a stolen sports car.
Something didnt seem right to Patrolman Rick Cedoz as he watched a group of juveniles driving a 1996 Ford Mustang through the village Saturday.
Cedoz ran the vehicles license plate number through the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS), a statewide computer system which tracks information on criminals, crimes, and stolen vehicles. LEADS connects all local police departments to each other and various state agencies. Officers can check license plates, drivers licenses, warrants and stolen property from laptop computers mounted in the police cruisers.
According to the system, the Mustang was stolen in Windsor and was wanted by the Ashtabula County Sheriffs Department.
"The actions of the driver lead me to believe something was suspicious about the vehicle. The driver pulled into a parking lot where they had no business being and that struck my curiosity," Cedoz said.
Village Police Chief Tim Bruckman said officer intuition can be one of the most effective tools in curbing crime in a community.
"Good police observation is invaluable to any police department. (Cedoz) did a good job of using his instincts to recover the vehicle," Bruckman said.
The three juveniles in the vehicle were of driving age. The driver of the car was charged by the village police with receiving stolen property. The vehicle and the driver were turned over to ACSO for further action, police reports show.
