KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A Kalamazoo woman is still processing why her car, once parked in a handicapped spot, now is in the repair shop.
"I'm parked in handicapped. There's no, no mercy, no compassion or empathy for a thief," Leola Morgan reflected on the moment she found out someone vandalized her Kia.
It happened the weekend of the Super Bowl.
"My son was the one that brought it to my attention. As he was leaving, he noticed the car door open," Morgan said.
Pieces of Morgan's hard-earned money were shattered to the ground as someone broke the windows to her car. Glass was all over the seats and the ground.
According to Kalamazoo Public Safety, there have been 32 attempted or stolen vehicles just this month. 16 were Kias and Hyundais using the viral method.
"They had also damaged the steering wheel, trying to steal the vehicle," Morgan told FOX 17.
They may not have taken her car successfully, but they stole her trust and her freedom. Leola told FOX 17 she felt violated and had to put her errands on the back burner.
As the sole caregiver for her sister and her husband, who had a stroke, Morgan says it was tough to wait three days for a rental.
"It hurts," she said.
The SUV is in the shop with damages close to $2,500. She says if this happens again, "You just have to just go through the process again, feeling that loss of having something taken from you."
According to KDPS, officers arrested two juveniles for stealing vehicles earlier this week near Drake Road and Stadium Drive.
Morgan's vehicle was vandalized in that same area. She feels the work can't just fall on KDPS, adding that apartment managers should also increase security.
