Prominent Georgia lawmaker victim of crime
ATLANTA - State lawmaker Sharon Cooper watched in frustration as a slider thief drove off in her Mercedes-Benz which was parked at a gas station.
If the story sounds familiar, it is. Cooper, who is elderly, had left the keys inside and the door wide open as she began to fill her tank. First, she saw the vehicle move forward slowly. She quickly walked to the driver side believing she had left her vehicle in gear.
But that wasn't the problem. A slider pressed the gas pedal and sped off toward the Interstate 75 entrance about two hundred feet away.
Inside the car were a number of valuables, a state ID, and a campaign checkbook.
During a recent capitol committee meeting, which Cooper attended, one of her colleagues poked a little fun at her misfortune. That lawmaker labeled a pair of new shoes that had been left in the Mercedes as the most important item.
Police are still looking for the vehicle. Investigators initially tried to track the car by attempting to tap Cooper's cell phone. But it was turned off.