By City of Chadron Police Department
On Monday, Aug. 25, 2025 at 4:15 a.m., the Chadron Police Department was called to the area of Fourth Street and Pine Street for a motor vehicle accident. Upon arrival, Officers located a pickup truck in a field south of Fourth Street that had struck a metal structure/pole style barn. The pickup was present at the accident scene, with nobody around.
The officers began their investigation and it was learned the pickup had been stolen earlier in the morning between 1:24 a.m. and 2:24 a.m. from a residence located on the 800 block of King Street. Damage to the pickup was estimated to be approximately $20,000. Damage to the metal structure/pole barn was estimated to be approximately $5,000.
Another accident was later reported on the 500 block of King Street, where it was learned that the stolen vehicle had struck a parked vehicle, likely near the time it was stolen. The parked vehicle received approximately $1,500 in damage to the driver’s side. Additionally, the Chadron Police Department received numerous reports of vehicle break-ins and a couple thefts from within vehicles that happened over the night.
Officers began canvasing the area and using images from home surveillance systems provided by the public to assist in identifying the suspects. As a result, two juvenile males were located that became suspects in the theft of the motor vehicle. Both juveniles had been consuming alcoholic beverages at the time of the officer’s contact with them. The juveniles admitted to “car jumping” which was explained as going parked car to parked car to see what they could find inside and eventually both juveniles admitted involvement in stealing the stolen pickup and driving it around.
As a result, a 16-year-old juvenile was placed into custody for Theft of a Motor Vehicle, Minor in Possession of Alcohol, Criminal Mischief, and Failure to Report an Accident and a 15-year-old juvenile was placed into custody for Accessory to a Felony and Minor in Possession of Alcohol. Both Juveniles were provided court dates for the offenses and released back to their custodial guardians.
We would like to remind our community members of some things everyone can do to assist in deterrence of vehicle break-ins and vehicle thefts. Lock all doors to your vehicle; never leave the keys to the vehicle in the vehicle when unattended; do not leave valuables in your vehicle, especially in plain sight; try to park in well-lit areas and if you have a car alarm, make sure it is activated. If you see someone acting suspicious and looking into vehicles or around them, call law enforcement to come check it out.