SAN ANTONIO – Retired Rev. Edward Moore shook his head in disbelief as he waited at the Growden Road city impound lot to recover his 1980 Cadillac DeVille, which he said has been stolen five times since 2010.
"The car is 35 years old, but it's all I got," Moore said.
He said each time, the Cadillac has been taken from Mount Zion Sheltering Arms, a nonprofit community for the elderly and disabled on Martin Luther King Drive.
Moore asked, "What am I supposed to do? What if it gets stole a sixth time? I mean, how long can this go on?"
He said having it stolen once was bad enough.
"But when you wake up five times and it's gone, that's just too much," Moore said.
A spokeswoman for the San Antonio Police Department said the same vehicle being stolen and recovered five times actually is not that unusual since the thefts occurred over a five-year time span.
Yet, Moore said he's not only worried about his predicament, he's also concerned for his neighbors.
SAPD reports other older vehicles have been taken from the same property over the past few years.
Moore said he's been using a screwdriver to start his car ever since the steering column he'd paid several hundred dollars to replace was smashed open yet again.
He said this time, when the vehicle was stolen Friday, it had a full tank of gas, but was empty when it was found the next day.
It proved a major complication when Moore tried to get his car out of the impound at a cost of $268.
Luckily, he had a credit card to pay the tow truck driver to take the car to a nearby gas station.
Moore said he's also upset apartment management didn't immediately show police the suspect captured on surveillance video.
Suzanne Smith, the management company owner, said police are welcome to review the video anytime they choose.
However, Moore also said he's been told, "They're not responsible. They're still saying they're not going to reimburse me for the damage to the car."
Moore said he only has liability coverage on the vehicle, because it's so old.
Smith said they've still done their part in response by installing gated access and security cameras.
SAPD also suggests scheduling an auto theft prevention presentation by calling 210-207-7566.
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles also has similar information on its website.