Going out for a meal at your favorite restaurant? Try to keep an eye on your vehicle or maybe install a car alarm. It should also go without saying, never leave anything of value in plain sight.
A Peachtree City officer on Sept. 30 at approximately 9 p.m. was dispatched to a restaurant on Ga. Highway 74 near Wisdom Road about an entering auto report.
The complainant stated between 8-9 p.m., while he was inside eating, someone broke the window to his 2013 Ford F-150, according to police reports.
“The unknown subject(s) stole a Swiss laptop bag containing an iPad and a Dell laptop. The iPad belonged to his work,” the police report said.
Another entering auto occurred Sept. 30 in Tyrone at a business on Depot Court off Senoia Road.
Tyrone Police Department spokesman Philip Nelson said a woman who reported her purse stolen had been unable to lock the vehicle due to problems with the vehicle’s electrical system.
Nelson said the woman subsequently received notifications that two of the cards in her purse were used at the Kroger store at Kedron Village, a short distance away in Peachtree City.
In unincorporated Fayette County near Peachtree City, there were seven entering auto incidents reported on Sept. 30.
Three of the incidents occurred on Brown’s Crossing Drive, with the fourth on Woodmere Lane.
Sheriff Barry Babb said no forced entry was noted by deputies, though two of the vehicles were rummaged, one had a purse stolen and another had a phone headset stolen.
Three other entering autos were reported Sept. 30 on Ga. Highway 85 South, Babb said two of the vehicles were rummaged with nothing taken, while the third had a wallet stolen, and with cash from the wallet found on the ground nearby.
Entering auto incidents are not uncommon across Fayette County. That is why officers also caution vehicle owners to never leave a vehicle unlocked, whether at home or in the community, and never leave valuables in plain sight.
One problem we have with modern cars is the difficulty to ascertain the car is locked, and truly and definitely locked, after we think we have locked it. In the old days, one could grab the handle and check the door was locked, plus there were knobs on the inside that were pushed down. Now, with a fob in our pockets, just touching the handle will unlock the car, and it makes it harder to verify the car was locked to start with. As for what’s in the car, especially with SUVs, stuff can be visible from the outside, like reusable grocery bags: they contain nothing, yet a thief might think they do. So drivers attract the blame, but it’s unfair to dwell on that.