From Decatur Police…
On 3/6/2015 at approximately 8:55 am, Decatur Police responded to an entering auto in the area of Fayetteville Road and Underwood Street. The victim reported parking her vehicle at approximately midnight and returning at approximately 8:00 am to find it had been entered. A backpack containing a wallet, a laptop, a tablet and three cell phones were taken. The tracking feature for one of the stolen cell phones was activated and led officers to a residence in the 1100 block of Oakview Road. Officers located the suspect and recovered the stolen cell phone. Investigators executed a search warrant at the location and all other stolen items except for the victim’s wallet were recovered. The suspect confessed to investigators and stated he saw the bag inside of the vehicle and tried the door and the vehicle was unlocked so he opened the door and took the bag. He would not reveal the location of the wallet.
Wow, that’s some valuable stuff to leave in a car, especially an unlocked one. No, I’m not blaming the victim, but this story is a good reminder to always remove your valuables from your car (whether or not it’s locked).
Agreed. I was shocked by the description of what was left in the car. I *never* leave stuff like that in my car, whether here, in DC, in NYC, or at Mont Saint Michel (where I carried two computers and a kid up to the top).
Glad the lady got her stuff back. But also… As long as people leave valuables in cars overnight, thieves are going to continue breaking into cars. Lots of times there isn’t anything visible but the thief is playing the percentages because it’s worthwhile over time. If I stored dog food on my porch and rats and/or coyotes started frequenting my yard, most people would say, “It serves you right. Now stop that before the pests invade the rest of us.” Am I the only one who sees an analogy here?
In defense, I have a job where I have tons of work equipment & it’s a pain to lug bags and boxes in & out every night
Yes, and it was the suspect who claimed that you left the door unlocked, not you.
That makes sense. But if everybody who is not in that situation would be more careful & responsible, then herd immunity would protect you!
For everyone who is saying my friend and I were irresponsible, my friend was in from another city. and accidentally left her bag in my car amidst carrying her other luggage into a hotel late at night after arriving in town. I did not know she had left the bag in the car and neither did she until the morning. She has two phones for her job, and a personal one. I don’t lock my doors because I had windows broken too many times and I never leave things in my car. Thanks for the great support and not jumping to conclusions without knowing a damn thing about the situation. Thanks to our tracking the guy and waiting outside his apartment for the police , a man who had over 70 arrests and tons of other stolen items in his home, is now in jail. You’re welcome.
“a man who had over 70 arrests and tons of other stolen items in his home, is now in jail.”
I’m still trying to understand this statement. How can you have 70 arrests and not already be in jail.
High five on the tracking system!
1197, thanks for running the sting. Maybe the police should think about doing some in the future.
The police came back with an empty wallet, but we got all her stuff back except $40 cash, including her keys, cards, and note her son made her as a kindergartener, by paying some neighbors to dumpster dive. To be fair, the officer (who was very good and pretty cute, which is always a good thing in a first responder 🙂 ) had a good idea of who the suspect was and we watched him arriving just as customers were heading up to buy my friend’s stuff. I can actually see the culprit’s front door from my house.
The officer was also quite concerned about the man’s civil rights and following rules, which I appreciated greatly.
Glad to hear they got this guy. Stealing people’s stuff is completely unacceptable to me, whether it’s left lying around or not. We have to hold everyone to this standard or else our community is not worth living in. Thanks DPD.