WENTZVILLE, Mo. — An attempted carjacking in Wentzville early Saturday has focused the police and community members on crime prevention in their city.
St. Charles County resident Rochelle Harris believes she encountered the four would-be carjackers before they got arrested after a failed attempt.
“There were four, which is exactly what I encountered," Harris said. "They were drinking alcohol, that seems to have matched up. The time frame makes sense.”
Harris believes she encountered the would-be carjackers in the parking lot of a nearby convenience store prior to the attempted carjacking.
“One of them was exiting the rear passenger side,” said Harris. "He was asking me if I knew where Delmar was. So, I quickly got in the car, locked the door and started my vehicle.”
It was later that morning, in the parking lot in the 1900 block of Wentzville Parkway, that another woman was the victim of an attempted carjacking.
“Basically they declared robbery and produced a firearm and she refused and produced her own firearm," Wentzville Police Officer Jake Schmidt said. "That pretty much ended the situation there.”
Three juveniles are in custody. Dwayne Huston, a 17-year-old from St. Louis, was charged as an adult with first-degree robbery and receiving stolen property. Wentzville Police say Huston remains in custody with bond set at $50,000 dollars.
All four suspects are from St. Louis.
Harris said she learned about the crime later on Facebook.
“What happened to her was exactly what my fear was from the moment I stepped out of my car,” she said.
The attempted carjacking comes at a time when Wentzville Police are asking residents to focus on more prevalent, much more preventable crimes. Officer Schmidt says St. Charles County has recently seen an uptick of auto thefts and thefts from vehicles. That includes 42 stolen vehicles this year and 15 firearms stolen from vehicles.
In each case, Schmidt says vehicles were left unlocked and the keys were left inside.
“You’re our eyes and ears out there,” said Schmidt. “Remain vigilant. If you see something, say something. Don’t ever hesitate to give us a call to report suspicious activity or criminal activity.”
