Man Charged After Vehicle Reported Stolen with Passenger Inside
Cornelius Vacoue Rahkym Stacey, 35, of Michigan City, has been charged following a June 24, 2025, incident in Gary where a vehicle was allegedly taken with another individual still inside.
According to court documents, officers were dispatched to a property damage crash in the 4300 block of West 24th Place. At the scene, they encountered Stacey and another man. Officers learned from Lake County Dispatch that a woman had reported her vehicle was stolen with her uncle inside. She had called the phone left inside the vehicle, and her uncle answered, telling her they had crashed.
Officers placed Stacey in wrist restraints and secured him in a squad car. The uncle told officers the vehicle belonged to his niece and said he was sitting in it when Stacey got in and drove away. He told Stacey to turn around, but they soon crashed.
The woman told police she and her uncle were in her car cooling off due to a broken air conditioner when she stepped out and away from the car. A man wearing blue scrubs reportedly approached her and said, “Hey, you have something leaking,” then jumped into the car and drove off with her uncle still in the backseat. She stated she did not know the man and had not given him permission to take the car.
Stacey later requested medical attention and was transported to a hospital, then cleared and taken to the police department. During a photo lineup, the suspect was identified.
The uncle also gave a statement, saying the suspect came out of nowhere and told him, “Don’t tell nobody,” before driving off. He said he did not know the suspect but remained in the vehicle with him for about 45 minutes. It was also reported the suspect took money from the victim’s purse and later noted that the suspect used the victim’s phone that was in the car to call his sister and girlfriend.
Stacey is currently lodged in the Lake County Jail.
Charges filed on June 26, 2025:
• Kidnapping where committed by using a vehicle, Level 5 Felony
• Criminal Confinement where a vehicle is used, Level 5 Felony
• Auto Theft – Theft of Entire Motor Vehicle, Level 6 Felony
• Theft, Class A Misdemeanor
• Criminal Mischief, Class B Misdemeanor
