Ashley Hunter
Greene Publishing, Inc.
On Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 12 p.m., a resident of Madison reported that her sister's 2013 Chrysler 200 had been stolen after the victim discovered it missing from the Madison Winn-Dixie parking lot.
According to reports from the Madison Police Department (MPD), the victim claimed she had parked the vehicle in front of the shopping center, and left it running, with the keys still in the ignition, while she ran in to purchase items from the store.
She had further advised that, when entering the store, she had observed two men standing in front of Winn-Dixie and asking other individuals for a ride to Greenville. The victim also said she recognized the two men, as she had gone to high school with them, but did not know their names.
The victim entered the store, but after a period of time, she realized she had left her prescription in her car, and left the store to retrieve it – only to discover that her vehicle was no longer parked where she had left it.
She then notified law enforcement, and MPD Lt. Tony Mashburn arrived to investigate. Upon Lt. Mashburn's arrival, he made contact with the victim as well as Winn-Dixie employees, who stated they, too, had observed the two males the victim had described.
Footage from the store's security cameras was reviewed, and showed the victim entering the store, and shortly thereafter, one of the men entering the car from the driver side door, and driving off.
The victim was shown a close up of the suspect and she was able to identify him as Kinsey Thomas, III, 20, of Greenville.
The victim's sister (the owner of the vehicle) was contacted and confirmed that no one besides her sister had been given permission to operate the vehicle and she requested that criminal charges be filed against whomever was responsible for taking her car.
Later, Madison County 911 Communications received a call about the stolen car being located on Ray Charles St., in Greenville and Madison County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) deputies arrived at the scene and found a family member of the vehicle's registered owner at the scene. The relative advised that she had seen Thomas exit the driver's side of the vehicle, and another man, Herbert Neal exit the passenger side.
Neal was located by deputies, as he had not left the area, and was brought back to the scene, where he told the officers that he had been at the S&J Deli in Greenville when he spotted Thomas driving the Chrysler. Neal had convinced Thomas to give him a ride home.
However, Thomas didn't transport Neal all the way home, as he stopped at Ray Charles Dr., and told Neal that he couldn't go any further. They had both exited the vehicle at that location.
The car was released to the relative.
Thomas was later located at the H&R Grocery Store, in Greenville, by MCSO Deputy Joey Knight. Thomas was detained and transported to the Madison Police Department, for further investigation.
After being interviewed, Thomas admitted to stealing the car, but refused to give a sworn statement. During his interview, Thomas stated he had been in Madison for three days and he was trying to get back home to Greenville. He had noticed the vehicle in the Winn-Dixie parking lot was still running and had the keys in the ignition and had taken it.
Thomas was arrested and transported from the Madison Police Department to the Madison County Jail.
Following the return of the vehicle, the victim advised that she was also missing $25 and her cell phone.
Thomas is facing charges on one count of grand theft of a vehicle, and one count of petit theft.