Nuts and Bolts in Parking Lot Leads to Startling Discovery: West Des Moines Police Blotter

A couple of workers at two West Des Moines restaurants got surprises when they went to their cars after their shifts ended last week, according to reports on file at the West Des Moines Police Department.

In the first report, a 37-year-old Urbandale woman said that when her shift ended at Panera Bread, 6740 University Ave., her 2004 Honda SUV was “extremely noisy” when she tried to start it so she decided not to drive it.

Mystified, she returned to the restaurant.

A short time later, a co-worker who had parked nearby discovered some clues about the mysterious noise – a pile of nuts and bolts near the vehicle.

The SUV was towed to a nearby Honda dealership, where mechanics discovered the catalytic converter had been stolen. An oxygen sensor also was damaged during the theft, resulting in $1,500 in repair costs, according to the report.

Answers weren’t as readily available for an employee of Dunkin’ Donuts, 1250 Eighth St., on Dec. 1.

The employee, 52, said she parked her vehicle away from the restaurant to leave more space for customers. When she returned, her vehicle was parked in a different stall.

She had reported to work at 4:20 a.m. and placed her keys in her coat pocket, then stored it in the usual place in an employee break room. The keys, which included keys to her residence, were missing.

The case was referred to the the police department’s criminal investigation bureau.