There are plenty of ways to draw attention to yourself in the middle of the night. According to police in Kansas, driving around town in a pair of stolen golf carts is one of them.
What started as a complaint about two golf carts being driven through Concordia during the early morning hours quickly turned into a burglary investigation involving four suspects and a trip to a local rock quarry.
According to the Concordia Police Department, officers were first advised of the driving complaint at approximately 1:00 am on July 29. Before they could locate the golf carts, however, they were dispatched to the Rock Quarry to assist the Cloud County Sheriff’s Office with a report of criminal trespassing.
That call ended up connecting the dots. While at the quarry, deputies arrested Autumn Griffin, and investigators also located two golf carts that had been reported stolen from the Concordia Country Club.
Surveillance Footage Helped Police Identify Three More Suspects
The stolen golf carts were recovered at the scene, and investigators continued gathering evidence to determine who else may have been involved. As officers followed up at the Concordia Country Club, they reviewed surveillance footage that identified three more people who were involved in the incident. Police say the video led investigators to Seth Conn, Bradyn Johns, and Skyler Stroman.
At approximately 9:30 am, officers located the three individuals in the 300 block of West 5th Street and took them into custody without incident. They were then transported to the Cloud County Corrections facility for processing.
According to police, Griffin was charged with one count of burglary, two counts of theft, and one count of conspiracy to commit burglary. Conn, Stroman, and Johns each face two counts of burglary and two counts of felony theft.
The Concordia Police Department noted that all four suspects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Commenters Had a Field Day With Golf Puns
The golf cart theft quickly became the perfect setup for a wave of golf-themed puns. One commenter joked that the suspects were “way over par,” while another quipped that they were probably “tee’d off.” Others kept the jokes rolling with lines about going for a “hole in one,” getting “stuck in the sand,” and being “all putted out.”
Beyond the humor, many commenters praised the Concordia Police Department for recovering the golf carts and making arrests. Comments like “Good job! CPD,” “Good deal!!!!,” and “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes” reflected the general feeling that the suspects had brought the situation on themselves.
A handful of commenters had questions about the case itself. Some wondered why one suspect faced a conspiracy charge while the others did not, while others questioned the quality of the released mugshots, joking they’d “seen clearer photos of Bigfoot.”
While investigators have not released additional details about how the golf carts were allegedly stolen or why they ended up at the rock quarry, the case serves as a reminder that even vehicles designed for leisurely trips around a golf course tend to stand out when they’re being driven around town in the middle of the night.