Security video shows man taking change at car wash

Staff report

AUSTINTOWN

An unidentified man was caught on surveillance video Tuesday morning stealing a car-wash change machine/controller.

An Austintown detective said although there has been damage done to car washes in the past, this is the first he has seen this type of crime.

At 10 a.m. Tuesday, owners of TLC Wash and Vac, LLC, on Kirk Road, reported the missing equipment.

According to the report, while the owners were doing daily maintenance, they noticed the machine missing and a hole left in the wall. They reviewed the surveillance video, viewing the man taking the entire machine and leaving on foot down Kirk Road.

The machine is worth about $5,000, as it makes change and controls an entire bay area of the car wash.

Officials said the thief will face a variety of charges including theft and vandalism because the bay area is unable to operate until it is replaced.