Woman Steals Car To Pick Up Boyfriend From Jail, Gets Arrested: Police

A Louisiana woman has been charged after she allegedly stole a car to pick up her boyfriend from jail, according to police.

Grant Parish Sheriff's Office (GPSO) said Alaina Cole, 21, from Houma, admitted to having stolen a car that she used to pick up her boyfriend who was in jail.

In a March 28 Facebook post, a GPSO spokesperson said: "A Houma woman was arrested after she drove a stolen vehicle to the Grant Parish Detention Center to bond someone out of jail.

"The woman admitted that she stole the car from Houma and was trying to bond her boyfriend out of jail."

Grant Parish police said Cole was later arrested and charged with illegal possession of stolen things.

Police did not comment in the Facebook post on when Cole was arrested or when she allegedly stole the car.

Newsweek has contacted the GPSO for comment.

According to the legal firm Accident Lawyer Louisiana, there are different penalties that can be handed down for illegal possession of stolen things based on the item's value.

It said: "If you commit the crime of illegal possession of stolen things and the value of all the things stolen is one $1,500 or more, then you can face up to ten years in jail time, pay a fine of up to $3,000, or both."

The legal firm continued: "The value of the items is $500 or more, but under the $1,500 limit then the offender can face up to five years in prison, be fined up to $2,000 or both."

The Insurance Information Institute, an industry information association that aims to improve people's understanding of insurance issues, said the FBI reported that $7.4 billion was lost to motor vehicle theft in 2020.

According to the institute, 810,400 vehicles were stolen across the U.S. in 2020, the highest number since 2008 when 959,059 were taken.

The institute noted that vehicle thefts had been trending downward in the 26 years since they peaked at 1.7 million in 1991.

Newsweek previously reported in December 2021 which states had the highest number of car thefts.

Insurance experts Uswitch said Colorado was the worst with 524.3 vehicle thefts per 100,00, almost 100 more thefts than the next highest states. New Mexico and California were tied for second with 427.6 vehicle thefts per 100,000 owners.

Meanwhile, Vermont was listed as the state with the lowest number of thefts with just 42.2 per 100,000. Maine came in second lowest at 63.8 and New Hampshire in third lowest with 76.4 vehicle thefts per 100,000 people.

The majority of stolen cars were taken from the owner's home, with 38.93 percent of thefts between April 2019 to March 2020 taking place at a semi-private parking facilities like a driveway or parking garage.