Stolen car found in Coppock Quarry

WASHINGTON, Iowa (GTNS) ? An unoccupied 2000 Buick Century stolen in Jefferson County this weekend was found at 1 p.m. Monday inside Coppock Quarry, owned by Douds Stone Inc., about 6 miles south of Washington.

The vehicle was not in the pit, but on a ledge about 75 feet below the top of the quarry. Washington Fire Chief Tom Wide said the angle of the rock formations in the quarry prevented firefighters from seeing the car from the edge, so two firefighters rappelled down to see if anyone was inside.

Wide said the car was empty, but the firefighters took down the license plate number to find its owner. When the owner was contacted, the owner was unaware it had been stolen as it was taken from a farm near Lockridge where no one lives.

Washington County Sheriff?s Chief Deputy Jared Schneider was confident the car must have gone over the side of the cliff to land on the edge, but how it was pushed or propelled over the cliff, or why it was sent over the cliff, is unknown.

Since the car was stolen in Jefferson County, Schneider said Jefferson County will take the lead in the investigation.

He said the owner of the vehicle and the owner of the quarry will need to make arrangements to remove the vehicle.

?It?s hard to say at this point how they?re going to get it out,? Schneider said.

Coppock Quarry is on G62 between Wayland Road and Coppock Road. The pit is on the north side of G62. It is mined for limestone, which is taken across the highway to the stockyard on the south side and crushed into construction material for roads.