Woman jailed for stealing car from church lot
Published 12:02 am Thursday, March 29, 2012
An Opp woman was jailed after she allegedly stole a vehicle from the parking lot of a local church.
Opp Police Chief Nickey Carnley said Wedn-esday that they received a complaint on Sunday from a James Loop residence that a woman’s vehicle and debit card had been stolen.
“Upon investigation, it was discovered the victim’s vehicle was stolen from the parking lot at Northern Heights Baptist Church located on Pearl Street,” he said.
Carnley said the incident occurred between 5 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. on March 25.
Carnley said a Houston County Sheriff’s deputy located the vehicle on Monday while on routine patrol.
“It was discovered the 2008 Kia Sorento was driven by Erin Leigh Copeland, who is currently a resident of Opp,” he said.
Carnley said OPD officers picked up Copeland and returned the 18-year-old to Opp, where they charged her with theft of property I, theft of property II and fraudulent use of a debit card.
All charges are Class C felonies with a total bond of $30,000.
Carnley said Copeland was recently placed on probation for an earlier theft charge, which involved a vehicle.