The Thief puT The pedal To The me Tal.

The 1993 Cadillac sat in front of Dorothy Ferguson’s house with a “for sale” sign on it. It was an older model, but in nice condition. And with only 69,000 miles on it, she thought it would be a nice buy for someone. Her asking price was $3,000.

The Victim: Dorothy Ferguson

The Crime: unauthorized use of a motor vehicle; car theft

Date: Friday, Nov. 30

Time: 11:40 a.m.

Location: 1700 block of Illinois

Soon after putting the car up for sale, a man came by and asked to check it out. He looked inside and asked if he could look at the title. Ferguson let him read over it while he inspected the interior. The man then asked if she would let him start the engine and remove the steering wheel lock so he could check the power steering.

As soon as she disconnected the device, the supposed buyer hit the gas and took off. Luckily, Ferguson wasn’t hurt, but her car was gone.

Things then grew stranger.

The thief apparently had driven to her house with another friend. The friend called police himself after witnessing the theft, saying he had no idea what his friend had planned. He told police his friend was in the car at a nearby wrecking yard. And that’s just where police found him — ready to sell the car for $250 cash, Ferguson says. Police even gave her a ride to the junkyard to pick up her Cadillac.

“He was real slick, he knew what he was doing,” she says of the thief. “The police got it back right quick. They couldn’t have been any nicer to me. I was so stupid, but real lucky.”

Maj. Edwin Ruiz-Diaz of the Southwest Patrol Division says when selling a vehicle, the seller should take as many safety precautions as possible.

“Meeting a buyer in a public place is advisable, as well as having someone with you at the time of the meeting,” he says. “The seller should also get as much information about the buyer as possible. Safety first.”

Although not a common occurrence, Ruiz-Diaz says, this type of offense is not unheard of, and Dallas Police as well as police departments nationwide also target businesses and individuals that buy stolen vehicles in cases like these.

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer and author of “Raising the Stakes”, obtainable at raisingthestakesbook.com. If you have been a recent crime victim, email crime@advocatemag.com.

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$5,000 amount a bank robber demanded in a note he gave a teller at the Bank of Texas on Zang at 12th 11 a.m. on Nov. 28 is when the crime occurred; the robber, who is 5-foot-6, weighs 200 pounds and has a pencil-thin mustache and chin hair, got away with $5,265

972.559.5000 call the FBI Dallas Field Office with tips

Source: Dallas Police Department