Man Who Stole 136 Cars Just Liked To Drive

[matcom]

<snip>

He had fun, fun, fun — until the police took his screwdriver away.

Until that happened, Seattle police say, 23-year-old Liam Moynihan had been on a one-man crime wave, stealing more cars than anyone in King County history. Armed with only a screwdriver and hammer, they say, he jimmied his way into at least 136 vehicles during a six-month joyride of epic proportions.

From last November until his arrest in May, Moynihan allegedly stole enough cars to stock a good-sized dealership, averaging one theft every 32 hours.

And he didn't discriminate. While favoring Subarus and Hondas, Moynihan allegedly heisted minivans and pickups, station wagons and SUVs, sedans and coupes. Foreign and domestic. Old and new.

And unlike many car thieves, Moynihan didn't sell the stolen cars for parts, say detectives in Seattle's Major Crimes Task Force, which investigates car thefts. Instead, they say, Moynihan simply liked to drive, often taking a stolen car out for a spin for a few hours, sometimes until the gas tank ran dry, and then stealing another.

"He'd just drive around, deciding to go to Kenmore or Tukwila one day. He needed to get from Point A to Point B — he enjoyed driving," said the undercover detective who investigated the case. Police have requested the detective not be identified because of ongoing undercover work.

Moynihan would sometimes drive 200 miles a day, they said. Police say he had no job but did have a girlfriend he liked to keep entertained, apparently by stealing cars.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2003291505&zsection_id=2002111777&slug=carthief06m&date=20061006