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Woman's Car Stolen While Waiting At The Car Wash

SIMI VALLEY (CBSLA.com) — When an employee handed over the keys to a woman after detailing a car, it turns out she wasn't the owner, but instead a brazen thief, police said.

Cheryl Piper, of Simi Valley, is laughing now however that wasn't the case when she realized her car was stolen while waiting for her car Sunday afternoon.

"I saw the car turn right onto first street," Piper said laughing. "As easy as it seems it could be and happen all of the time, you don't ever see it happen," Piper said. Just all of a sudden somebody, you know, you give your ticket and get in the car and drive away."

Piper's friend was waiting to get picked up to go to lunch in Malibu. When Piper texted her that her car had just been stolen from the car wash.

"I said: 'get out,' That can't be right. It's a car wash. It must be pulled around the side or something," her friend said.

But it wasn't. It was gone until the woman who stole it had forgotten her purse and came back to get it. That's when police arrested 33-year-old Brenda Hendrix.

Piper says she has this advice while getting your car washed.

"If you look around how everybody is just always on their phones looking down. Nobody is looking up anymore, I was actually thinking to myself I think I need to tell my kids you need to pay attention to what's going on because you just don't know. You just have to keep your eye on everything."

Piper said she didn't have any damage to the car, but the glove box and trunk looked like it had been searched through by the alleged thief.

 

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