Wrightsville Beach Residents – be sure to lock your car

by Brian Freskos
Thursday, April 8, 2010

Wrightsville Beach police said they are investigating a string of vehicle and vessel break-ins that reportedly occurred during the wee morning hours of Wednesday, April 7 – reports the Lumina News.

Three vehicles were broken into within the vicinity of Waynick Boulevard and South Lumina Avenue, and a stereo was stolen from a boat parked on Lagoon Drive, police said.

Police believe the four incidents may have been connected.

Several items were stolen from inside the vehicles; including two Garmin GPS systems valued at $550, combined; a portable DVD player worth an estimated $300 and a $175 Black iPOD Touch, according to reports.

Police said they do not have any suspects at this time, but they are ramping up patrols in Wrightsville to fend off additional break-ins.

According to reports, the first break-in was reported from a blue 2006 Honda Pilot on 550 Waynick Blvd. around 9:20 a.m. Stolen were the portable DVD player and a $20 DVD.

The second was reported a few minutes later at 655 S. Lumina Avenue. A report filled out by Officer M.G. Monroe indicates that an unknown number of subjects entered a white 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe and stole the iPOD Touch, a Garmin GPS, miscellaneous CDs and a Mountain Hardware jacket valued at $175.

The third vehicle break-in was reported around 2 p.m. from a white 1997 Toyota 4Runner parked at 544 Waynick Blvd, according to a report. Stolen were the second Garmin GPS and a skateboard worth about $50.

Police said all the vehicles were unlocked, and all the larcenies occurred overnight while the victims slept.

The boat break-in at 7 Lagoon Dr. wasn’t reported until after 1 p.m. Officer J. Davis, who chronicled this incident, said he suspects a connection to the vehicle break-ins because a similar item was stolen. The stereo that thieves are alleged to have taken has an estimated worth of $500.

All total, the suspected perpetrators stole approximately $1,790 worth of items.

In a separate incident Wednesday, $780 worth of lawn equipment—including a weed-eater and an edger—was reported stolen at 1:40 p.m. off a trailer on North Ridge Lane at the north end of Wrightsville Beach

Police do not believe this incident is linked to the others.

In comments Thursday, Officer Davis supplied a few recommendations to protect valuables and defer perpetrators. He said people should always lock their doors and record the serial numbers of valuable items.

If police have the serial numbers, then they can enter them into the NCIC database, which allows them to track stolen items and recover them if they surface.

Also, Davis said that if a person finds their vehicle broken into they shouldn’t tamper with it.

“There may be more information to gather if they don’t tamper with it,” he said.

http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=6033&iid=210&sud=30