Justice Served: Stolen Jeep Recovered, Career Criminal Charged
He might be a criminal, but this thief was no mastermind.
A week before Christmas, a family in Buffalo, New York, found that their 1999 Jeep Cherokee was stolen from their driveway. According to The Cheektowaga Chronicle, the brazen car thief stole the Jeep along with a wallet that was inside the vehicle. But thanks to the dim-witted actions of the robber, Derek Schlifke, the Jeep was soon recovered and safely returned to its rightful owner.
Schlifke decided that scoring the Jeep Cherokee just wasn’t enough for him, so he also used the stolen bank cards at a few stores. Then, he went a step further and attempted a five-finger discount at a local Walmart. Schlifke was pinched for shoplifting, where police discovered the stolen credit cards…and several outstanding warrants. The culprit told the cops where to find to the missing Cherokee, and it was returned safe and sound.
Schlifke didn’t fair as well as the stolen Jeep. He was arrested for petit larceny and criminal impersonation, in addition to his outstanding arrest warrants for grand larceny of a vehicle, credit cards, and a rifle.
The experienced criminal is well known to local law enforcement. In 2009, he was wanted for a number of vehicle break-ins. He was apprehended, escaped police custody, then publicly turned himself in during a live press conference. Schlifke just completed probation for those crimes…so much for a fresh start.
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