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Suspect in ‘warm-up theft’ tracked down, arrested in Londonderry

By Dean Shalhoup - Senior Staff Reporter | Dec 18, 2020

Kristen Ferry, age 31, of Londonderry

LONDONDERRY – Police on Wednesday arrested a local woman shortly after she allegedly stole a running car while the owner was warming it up in front of a Mercury Drive residence.

Later, police said, officers went back to the owner’s home to deliver a verbal warning for leaving her car running and unattended.

In all, the incident took less than a half-hour from the time the owner called police until the suspect, Kristen Ferry, 31, of Londonderry, was in custody and headed for police headquarters for the booking process.

Ferry, who police said suffered a minor medical issue and was taken to a local hospital as a precaution, was charged with one count each of theft and receiving stolen property, which are Class B felonies.

Police said Ferry brought along her two dogs, which they described as large Rottweilers that “were very friendly” when Animal Control Officer David Carter transported them to police headquarters, where they waited in a kennel until Ferry completed the booking process.

Ferry took possession of them after being released on personal recognizance bail pending arraignment, which police said will take place in Rockingham County Superior Court on a date that has yet to be determined.

The vehicle’s owner, meanwhile, called police at about 6:30 a.m., 15 minutes or so after she started the 2015 Honda Civic to warm it up, police said.

But when the owner went to leave for work, the car was no longer in the driveway, police said.

Officers who answered the call radioed its description and license plate to all Londonderry units as well as police in neighboring towns.

About 20 minutes later, Officer Daniel Perry called in to report he’d spotted the vehicle on Route 102 (Nashua Road) near the I-93 Exit 4 interchange, and that it had gone into the Alltown gas station on Hampton Drive, just off of Route 102.

In the meantime, another motorist called police to report his vehicle had been struck in the Alltown parking lot, and as Perry approached he found that the suspect car was the stolen Civic.

He spoke with the driver, later identified as Ferry, who allegedly told him she had rented the vehicle, but was unable to provide any documentation to substantiate her claim, police said.

Ferry was subsequently taken into custody, and ACO Carter arrived to take her Rottweilers into custody.

The incident prompted police to issue a reminder to motorists to discourage acts of so-called “warm-up thefts” by avoiding starting vehicles ahead of time, or keeping running vehicles within sight at all times, or using a spare key or FOB to lock a running vehicle.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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