Grandfather May Be Feeling ‘Burned’ by Vehicle Theft

A 20-year-old Des Moines man reportedly left the keys in the ignition after parking his grandfather’s van at a West Des Moines mall last week, then discovered it had been burned in Ankeny.

The van, a 2011 Dodge, was the family’s only means of transportation, according to a report on file at the West Des Moines Police Department. The owner of the vehicle, a 77-year-old man, loaned it to his grandson, who lives with him, to drive on the evening of Monday, May 13.

Police became aware of the situation about 11:40 p.m. that day when an Ankeny police officer contacted Westcom Dispatch and said a vehicle believed to have been stolen from Jordan Creek Town Center had been set on fire on 66th Avenue in Ankeny.

The grandson said he had parked the van at the mall about 9 p.m., left the keys in it and left the area in another vehicle "with a girl whose name he didn’t know," according to the report. When he returned, he found the van missing and called his mother to ask her what to do. She  reportedly told him to contact West Des Moines police, but he declined. 

By the time the 20-year-old told his grandfather what had happened, Ankeny authorities had already told him what had happened, according to the report. The grandfather reported the theft to West Des Moines police the next morning.