Restaurant Owners Outsmarts Suspected Car Thief

(Memphis) Fish -N- Mo in Orange Mound serves up Philly Cheese Steaks, Jumbo Cheeseburgers and hot wings, but earlier this month one customer wanted something that wasn’t on the menu.

When the owner of the business wasn’t looking, a customer snatched his keys near the register and drove off in his SUV.

“He was a little upset, but he knew he would be able to find it,” said Restaurant Manager Tonee Wesley.

Lee Wilkins has only owned Fish -N- Mo for about seven months and wasn’t about to lose his transportation to work.

Wilkins, his wife and son started driving around the city everyday looking for their sea foam green Chrysler Pacifica.

The searching paid off Thursday when Wilkins’ wife and son spotted the car, eight miles away, on Mount Moriah.

 Lisa Wilkins couldn’t believe what she was seeing, “Oh, very shocked.”

She and her son saw the driver head toward Halle Stadium, right behind the Mount Moriah Police Substation, and knew they had to act fast.

“I just asked him to drop me off at the police station so that I could inform them and then my son tried to see where the car was headed,” said Wilkins

Officers approached the SUV that was now in a lot near the stadium.

They say 18-year-old Martin Tyler was in the driver’s seat and had the car key in his pocket.

Lisa Wilkins and her husband are thrilled to have their Pacifica back and glad they didn’t give up their search, “I would also recommend that anybody who did that, please, make sure that you do it with caution and safety and know the police are available to assist you.”

She says the fact that police were so close was a blessing.

Tyler is charged with theft of property between $1,000 and $10,000.

He was arrested on a similar charges back in May, but the charges were dismissed.