Victim of car break-in shares story amid rash of auto thefts in southeast Nebraska

BEATRICE, Neb. (KLKN) – Auto theft appears to be on the rise in southeast Nebraska.

From 2018 to 2023, the number of vehicle thefts in Lincoln more than doubled, according to police statistics.

Last week, Beatrice Police reported a string of vehicle break-ins and attempted thefts.

One of those vehicles was Dolly Koci’s Kia. She said a group of teens broke in and caused thousands of dollars in damage.

When she first found her vehicle, she said pieces of the molding around the steering wheel were ripped off.

At first, she thought the damage could have been caused by squirrels or raccoons.

“Then I looked again and said, ‘No four-legged animals did this. Some two-legged animals must have done this,'” She said.

Koci is an 80-year-old disabled veteran and said her car was her only way of getting around town.

She moved back to Nebraska from Las Vegas two years ago to get away from the crime there.

“I never dreamed that in this beautiful little community of Beatrice that I would have my Kia vandalized and destroyed,” Koci said. “They were so blatant that they stole the registration for the vehicle, they stole all my girly things, my hand lotions, my flashlights, my binoculars.”

She said the group also tried to break into a neighbors Kia across the street that same night.

Police say Kia and Hyundai vehicles are at particular risk of being stolen, in part because of a social media trend.

Koci is hoping the trend comes to an end.

“I’m a person that tries to be positive,” she said. “I say my prayers. I trust everybody, basically. I mean, I’m a Nebraskan at heart. When I grew up, that’s the way it was; we didn’t even lock our doors.”

After her car was towed away, she said her first instinct was to sell her house and leave.

Her car won’t be fixed until next month, so Koci has been getting rides from her friends to get around.

She said she’s disappointed with what happened and hopes people will stop and think before committing these kinds of crimes.

“If those guys were that desperate to take a joyride, come to my door and say, ‘Hey, can we take the Kia for a joyride?'” she said. “I probably would’ve said yes because better than what you’ve put me through. It’s been a lot of pain.”

Despite the circumstances, Koci believes the community can improve if everyone looks out for one another.

“I always have faith in myself and in other people, and in tomorrow, ’cause I always think it’s going to be better,” she said.