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After rash of
break-ins, visitors – and residents – advised to lock their vehicles
By IRENE
NOLAN
 The
Dare County Sheriff’s Office is reminding all visitors – and residents
– to keep their vehicles locked and their valuables out of sight.
Vehicle break-ins happen year round, but the reports balloon in the
summer with the annual influx of visitors.
Just
a glance back at last summer’s reports from the Dare County Sheriffs
shows that thieves stole a wide variety of valuables from vehicles.
Reported
stolen last July through August were wallets, purses, cash ($1,500 in
one case), credit cards, cell phones, GPS devices, vehicle DVD screens,
iPods, sunglasses, radar detectors, and digital cameras. Also
missing from vehicles were such items as surf boards, bicycles, fishing
rods, and a canoe.
“Most (thieves) are not forcing their way
into vehicles,” said Hatteras Island Lt. Greg Wilson of the sheriff’s
office. They are taking advantage of an opportunity.”
That opportunity is a vehicle that has not been secured by the owners –
at rentals houses, parking turnouts, and businesses.
During June, there has been a rash of vehicle thefts in Hatteras
village and Frisco.
And the sheriff’s office arrested suspects and recovered some of the
stolen property in several of these high-profile cases.
On
June 13, Sgt. Jack Scarborough of the Dare County Sheriff’s Office,
accompanied by members of the Criminal Investigation Division, went to
57402 Highway 12 in Hatteras village, armed with a warrant to search
the premises. The warrant was issued to search for a golf
cart
reported stolen from Columbia, S.C.
The stolen cart was
found in the backyard of the residence. There also was a
quantity
of methamphetamine discovered. Further investigation led to
the
recovery of more property in the form of some electronic equipment
allegedly stolen from automobile break-ins in Hatteras on June
11.
CID Deputies Doug Oberbeck and Phil Tokazowski were
able to determine that the stolen items had been in the possession of
two juveniles and one 16-year-old in Virginia. Juvenile
petitions
were to be drawn on the local juveniles and warrants will be drawn on
the 16-year-old for the Hatteras auto break-ins as soon as he can be
returned from Virginia.
In the recovery of the stolen
golf cart, Joseph Steven Thomas, 19, 57402 Highway 12,
Hatteras, was arrested. He was charged with possession of stolen goods
(felony), possession of Schedule II controlled substance, underage
possession of alcoholic beverage.
During the weekend of June
11-12, there were several motor vehicles broken into in the Frisco
community. Deputy Sheriff Joey Spragins, while handling an
unrelated call for service, was able to locate a gun stolen in Buxton
on May 25. From this information, Dare County Criminal
Investigators Sgt. Scott Rodriguez, Doug Oberbeck, and Phil Tokazowski
were able to take the information and develop suspects in the Frisco
car break-in cases, as well as the case involving the stolen
gun.
As a result of their investigation, a significant amount of stolen
property was recovered and the following arrests were made on June 16:
- Richard
William Taylor, 18, 52180 Mare Vista Drive, Frisco. Charged
with
felony possession of a stolen firearm, possession of firearm by a
convicted felon, and four counts of breaking and entering of a motor
vehicle. Bond was set at $42,500.
- Julio Leal,
18, 52236 Lovey
Lane, Frisco. Charged with four counts of breaking and entering of a
motor vehicle, felony larceny of a firearm, and possession of a stolen
firearm. Bond was set at $20,000.
- Samantha
Taylor, 18, 48313
Buxton Back Road, Buxton. Charged with felony larceny of a firearm,
felony possession of a stolen firearm, and four counts of breaking and
entering a motor vehicle. Bond was set at $25,000.
- Steven
Anthony Nelson, 17, 51834 Highway 12, Frisco. Charged with one count of
breaking and entering a motor vehicle. Bond was set at $1,000.
Visitors
and residents should also secure property outside houses. The
spike in tourist season thefts also includes fishing rods, rod racks,
surf boards, bicycles, and the like at rental houses and residences.
Wilson
of the sheriff’s office says that residents and vacationers should be
vigilant and look “for anything that doesn’t seem just right” and
suspicious persons in neighborhoods.
Thefts and unusual activity can be reported by calling 911 or the
non-emergency communications number, 252-473-3444.
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