North Carolina Luxury Car Theft Ring Nets 4 Arrests

One minor and three others are facing over 50 charges in a North Carolina luxury car theft ring. The thefts happened primarily in the Union County, North Carolina area. The Sheriff's office announced the arrests on Friday.

Lt. James Maye said in a press release published via WSOC TV in Charlotte, “There have been multiple car thefts, multiple vehicle breaking and enterings that have occurred primarily in the Weddington, Wesley Chapel, and Marvin area of Union County,” Some of the incidents date back to 2021. Detectives say many of the stolen vehicles were left unlocked with keys inside.

Maye goes on to say the alleged thieves would brazenly walk into unlocked garages or steal the cars from driveways. I see a common thread here. The cars were unlocked with keys inside. In most cases the garages were open as well. According to our source, these are the alleged perpetrators. Evan Tolson, 19, Julius White, 19, and Ja’Quise Black, 18, all from Charlotte, were charged and arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation. Another one of the arrested is under 18 and was already in reported trouble when this arrest came about.

One "celebrity" vehicle was stolen in the crime spree. According to the Charlotte Observer, Maye states, “Specifically, one of the offenders was linked to the case where (former Carolina Panther) Thomas Davis’ car was stolen out of the Weddington Road area,”.

Maybe reminds the public to always lock your car before leaving the vehicle and never leave your keys inside. He adds, "It is also a good idea to lock the doors to your home as well".

When I think of pronunciation "It's leviOsa, not levioSA!" is the first quote that comes to my mind. But there are plenty of other words in the English language that have different pronunciations. This can vary by location. But with things like brand names, there typically is one specific way to say them. And they aren't always the most commonly said pronunciation. In fact, these 8 car brands you've probably been pronouncing wrong. It's ok, I have as well.

Our friends at Preply are helping us set the record straight when it comes to pronouncing your favorite car brands. A global industry like the automobile industry makes it easy for brands to be mispronounced. Preply has studied the most mispronounced car brands and how to pronounce them correctly.

Amy Pritchett, Student Success Manager at Preply has shared her advice on pronouncing words correctly. She said: "Break up the words into small sounds. Don’t get overwhelmed. Look at each syllable and try to say it alone before putting the sounds together to form the word. Google! The internet is your best friend when trying to learn new words or brand names. You can easily find videos or sound clips of how to say each word. Watch motoring shows or videos. Watching TV shows even like Top Gear can help you learn car names. You can easily pick up some pronunciation tips.

Which of the 8 car brands listed below have you been mispronouncing incorrectly?

Porsche are widely known for their high-performance sports cars, but apparently not the pronunciation of their name. Whilst many fans pronounce it “porsh”, the correct pronunciation is “porsh-uh”. Just take a look at Joey from Friends who says the name correctly.

Hyundai is a South Korean car manufacturer, and forms the group selling both Hyundai and Kia cars. A common mispronunciation of the brand is “HUN-dye”, but in fact, the correct pronunciation is “HUN-day”. 

Subaru was founded and is headquartered in Japan, with the correct pronunciation of “soo-BAH-roo”, not “SOO-buh-roo” as often mispronounced.

Nissan, a huge name in personal cars, is a Japanese car manufacturer founded in 1933. Often wrongly pronounced as “NISS-an”, the correct pronunciation is “NEE-san”.

Volkswagen. Or also known as VW, is a German-based car brand and is also troubled with mispronunciation with people pronouncing its name as “VOLKSWAG-en” instead of “folks-VAHG-en”.

Mitsubishi is a huge international brand, known for both automobiles and sports cars, whilst also being known for air conditioning systems and factory systems. Often mispronounced as “mits-i-bishi”, the correct pronunciation is “mits-bishi”.

Audi, another German automotive manufacturer, are known for their luxury cars, having originally been founded in 1909. The correct pronunciation of the manufacturer is “oudi”, not “aw-dee”.

Mazda, a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer, has produced over 1.5 million vehicles. Despite many pronouncing it as “MAZ-duh”, the correct pronunciation is “MAHD-zah”.

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