CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The Police Chief of Chillicothe and his wife had their car stolen overnight; officers believe it was used as a getaway vehicle in a heist at a Dollar General store, before it all ended in a pursuit late-Monday morning.
It all stems from a breaking-and-entering of the local Dollar General store on Bridge Street, where officers found the bargain merchandiser had been broken into and ransacked. Outside in the parking lot, officers found the store’s safe loaded up into a shopping cart and laying on its side. According to officers, security camera video shows a masked man busting in the front door, wearing gloves, loading the safe up into a shopping cart, and trying to wheel it away. Once the man was in the parking lot, the weight of the safe toppled the cart over, officers reported. That’s when the man abandoned his plan and took off running.
About 90 minutes later, dispatch advised officers to be on the lookout for a stolen Honda Pilot, which had reportedly been taken in the area of Pawnee Road and Harold Drive. The vehicle was reported stolen by Kelly Meyers, according to the report. Meyers is the wife of Chillicothe Police Chief Ron Meyers.
Much to the luck of officers, they saw the SUV driving down Bridge Street just a few minutes later. Police gave chase, but before they could catch up to the car, it turned down a side street, then an alley, where they found it abandoned; the driver had fled. Officers scoured the area, but could not locate anyone hiding.
Inside the car, officers found a mask and gloves, which they said were identical to the ones caught on security camera video in the Dollar General heist.
Moments after the chase ended, the chief, his wife, and their son arrived at the scene. In bodycam video, officers are seen photographing the vehicle for evidence and asking questions from the Meyers. Ms. Meyers reportedly told officers that a spare key in her son’s vehicle “could have” been used to boost the car, the report reads. She told officers the gloves and mask did not belong to her.
“Ms. Meyers stated that while at home, a family member could hear a car door being shut and when looking outside, could see the vehicle being driven away,” the report reads.
In the bodycam video, officers ask Chief Meyers if he wanted them to use his home address or the police department’s address for the purpose of the report. Under Ohio law, law enforcement officers can have their home address shielded from public records provided to the general public. News media, however, are exempt from the exemption.
The chief is overheard on video telling officers to just use a nearby intersection in the report, and he went on to tell officers to not put that “Unit One [the police chief] called and advised his car got stolen.”
The masks and gloves were collected as evidence and will be sent to BCI in Columbus for DNA processing, according to Captain Michael Short of the Chillicothe Police Department. When asked on Tuesday by the Guardian if the police department was going to handle an investigation involving their own chief, Short said yes.
“….both incidents will be investigated by the Chillicothe Police Department to try to determine who broke into her vehicle and who broke into the Dollar General,” the captain said. “All evidence will be sent off to BCI to try to identify the suspects.” Short added that the vehicle was not dusted for prints.
The captain suggested some safety tips for community members to keep themselves safe from being victim to grand theft auto.
“I would recommend to make sure you do not leave any valuables in your vehicles and secure your vehicles. Also, to deter criminals, it is best to have security lighting and/or security cameras installed, keep shrubbery trimmed, do not post on social media when out of town, and keep an eye out for your neighbors by reporting any suspicious activity.”
