::: COMMUNITY NEWS

Jacque Villa, a member of Volunteers In Partnership with the Sheriff, spent Tuesday working at the James L. Noller Safety Center to assist residents whose cars were targeted by thieves overnight. She and fellow VIPS Hal Coburn took reports for the sheriff's department. "We opened just because of the need," Villa said. "That's what we're here for." VIPS normally staff the center on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Thieves steal items from 11 cars overnight in RM North

Published Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Thieves hit 11 vehicles in Murieta North overnight, taking thousands of dollars' worth of property, mostly from unlocked vehicles parked in driveways.

The sheriff's department is following up on information supplied by one of the victims who got a description of the suspects' car and its license number, according to Security Chief Greg Remson. "It turned out to be a resident vehicle," Remson said. "It's just another reminder to keep your doors locked and don't keep valuables in your car. Even here."

Remson said the resident heard a noise about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday and looked out his window in time to see two men in their late teens or early 20s inside his truck. Another man was walking up from a neighbor's yard.

The resident noticed a car parked across the street from his home and followed the vehicle out of Rancho Murieta and west on Highway 16, Remson said. "That saved it," he said. "That did it. That will end up closing the case I think. …

"We're not sure if the suspect saw the victim … or if they were just done and leaving … They weren't doing a hundred miles an hour down Pera or anything. … My guess is they were probably driving over to somebody else's house to dump this stuff …"

The resident called the car in to the sheriff's department, but it wasn't located by deputies at that time. Later in the morning, sheriff's deputies and a detective arrived in the community to start the investigation as calls about the thefts began to pour in.

"The missing property includes golf clubs, skateboards, numerous CDs, some cash, a purse, binoculars, sunglasses, that type of thing," said Remson. "It's the typical stuff. Anything that's not nailed down."

Jacque Villa and Hal Coburn, members of Volunteers in Partnership with the Sheriff, opened the James L. Noller Safety Center and began to take reports from victims as Security worked with law enforcement officials.

Remson said the thefts occurred along major streets – upper Guadalupe Drive, Camino Del Lago and Puerto Drive. Ten of the 11 vehicles that were robbed were parked in driveways. One car was parked in a garage where the roll-up door had been left up. "They just walked in," Remson said of the thieves.

One victim said a window had been broken to gain entry to his vehicle. Two other victims said their vehicles had been locked, but there were no apparent signs of forced entry, Remson said.

The rest of the vehicles sat unlocked in the driveways of homes.

Remson speculated that the suspects "were just cruising around and jumping out and checking every car."

"If the cars are locked, then it's a burglary. But if the cars are unlocked, then it's either a petty theft or a grand theft, depending on the value of the property," he explained.

No suspects had been arrested by late Tuesday afternoon, and the sheriff's department was continuing the investigation. Remson requested that anyone with information contact Security at 354-3743.