Lavonia Police Searching for Stolen Pizza Delivery Vehicle

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

Lavonia Police are asking for the public’s help to locate a car stolen from a restaurant parking lot over the weekend.

According to Lavonia Police Chief Bruce Carlisle, it happened Saturday evening at the Pizza Hut on State Route 17.

“When officers arrived they learned that a pizza delivery driver had parked his vehicle outside the restaurant with his keys inside and the motor running,” Carlisle said. “The driver had gone inside to get another pizza for delivery and when he went back outside he found his car had been stolen without his authority.”

The car is described as a 2011 silver Mazda 6 with a Georgia tag PTC-4144.

Anyone who may have seen the vehicle is asked to contact Lavonia Police at 706-356-4848 or their local 911.

Callers do not have to give their name.

Meanwhile, Carlisle warned motorists that even smaller rural communities such as Lavonia, it is not a good idea to leave your keys inside a car.

“Never leave your keys in your vehicle and never leave it running,” he said. “It’s always a good idea to err on the side of caution; especially around the Interstate. There are a lot people getting off the Interstate, you don’t know where they’re from and they may not have the same ethic has we do around here.”

Carlisle said over the past several years, Lavonia has seen a number of car thefts.

Most, he said, have taken place around the Exit 173 interchange.

Again, anyone who may have seen the vehicle is asked to contact Lavonia Police at 706-356-4848 or their local 911.