Hudson Valley ‘Career Car Thief’ Caught Stealing Cars After 40 Years in New York

A Poughkeepsie man who's been described as a "career car thief" was caught stealing a car in broad daylight in the Hudson Valley.

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On Tuesday, Putnam County District Attorney Robert V. Tendy announced that Derek Sloane of Poughkeepsie was convicted after a jury trial of grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.

On December 15, 2020, shortly after 3:00 PM, Sloane stole a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado owned by a small business in Cold Spring. The manager of the business witnessed what's described as a "brazen daylight heist" and quickly reported the incident to 911.

"Thanks to the quick response of both the New York State Police and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the defendant was apprehended approximately 20 minutes later while still driving the stolen pickup truck in Peekskill, New York," the Putnam County District Attorney stated in a press release.

At approximately 3:40 p.m., Troopers in Westchester cross-monitoring Putnam County 911 radio transmissions overheard the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office investigating a complaint of a stolen 2017 Chevrolet Silverado.

Troopers patrolled to likely locations the suspect may have fled to and subsequently located him in on Route 9 and Highland Avenue.

The Putnam County District Attorney referred to Sloan as a "career car thief." Officials say he's been stealing cars for nearly 40 years. He faces up to 3 to 25 years in prison when sentenced.

"The defendant, whose criminal history of stealing cars dates back to the 1980s faces a sentence of up to 3 ½ to 7 years in state prison, or, if the Court finds him to be a persistent felony offender, a sentence of up to 25 years to life," the District Attorney's office added.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 21.

While no place in the Hudson Valley made the list, the region has received a ton of praise recently.